


Balance Restored

by AliasFics374



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bring Back Ben Solo, Canon Continuation, F/M, Jedi Rey (Star Wars), M/M, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Rey misses Ben, Reylo AU Week, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, continuing the trilogy because TROS was to sad, let's go to the World Between Worlds!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:55:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 37,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28096515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliasFics374/pseuds/AliasFics374
Summary: It's been nearly a year since the battle on Exegol, Rey is back at Ajan Kloss, which had now been made into a small settlement. Her peaceful life with Chewie, Finn, Poe and the rest of the Resistance that stayed is enjoyable, don't get her wrong. She's grateful that there's no war to fight, yet her mind lingers on Ben. How could it not? She lost the one she loved. But when a voice comes to her, sounding strangely like him, and Leia says that there's a way for her to bring him back, Rey doesn't hesitate to go on this journey. The only problem is, convincing Finn and Poe won't be easy.The trio goes on another mission, this time to bring Ben Solo back. Chewie comes along (of course), and Finn and Poe finally admit their feelings towards one another.Yes, this is a pretty long fic, but I promise you, it's worth it. (it's one of my favorite fics I've wrote, personally)
Relationships: Chewbacca & Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey, Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Poe Dameron & Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Rey awoke with a jolt, breathing heavily. It had been nearly a year since they had won the fight on Exegol, yet the nightmares still hadn’t stopped. She couldn’t stop the recollection of her parent’s death, Leia’s death, Ben’s death. There was too much death. And every single one of those deaths were because of her. Or at the very least partially.

After returning from Tatooine, a majority of the remaining Resistance stayed at the base in Ajan Kloss. And when Finn and Poe agreed to stay, Rey did as well. It wasn’t like she had a home to return to. Yet now the planet felt more like a city rather than a base. Houses and structures were built, a small marketplace in the center. Ships could enter or leave as they pleased. Trade between planets and people had taken shape. Families even began to form. Although everything seemed to be in harmony, the remaining Resistance fighters hid extra artillery, communication systems and ships in a secret bunker, just incase another war came into being. They all knew darkness rose stealthily, they had experienced that first hand with the return of the emperor. Still, overall the planet was at peace.

Rey got out of her bed, and paced around the hut made from extra ship parts and scrap metal. With a sigh she sat back on her bed, and looked out the window adjacent to it. It was still dark outside, before the sunrise, perfect.  
She took her lightsaber with her and left the hut. The rest of the settlement was quiet. Everyone seemed to be asleep, there was no light flickering through the windows, not a soul outside of their homes. Rey took a moment to enjoy the quiet rest of the city, then followed a thin trail away from the rows of huts and buildings. It navigated past ponds, rivers, fallen trees and boulders the size of Poe’s x-wing. And finally, it had led her to the peak. Rey thought it was probably the highest place on the planet, yet she hadn’t really sought out to discover the rest of Ajan Kloss. The peak was a clearing, almost like a meadow, filled with wildflowers and soft short grass that served as a comfortable cushion. If you got closer to the edge, you could tell that it was a mountainous cliff, one wrong move and you could fall to your death. The part Rey loved the most about that place was the serenity. When overlooking the thick forest down below, and the clam sky up above, she felt small, almost powerless. Yet this powerless feeling wasn’t a feeling she feared, it was almost like one she craved. She knew she could do horrid things, evil things, feeling that sort of power vanish was comforting in a way. The concept was even hard for herself to grasp, yet sitting at the edge of that cliff did something to her. A good something. She looked out at the beauty of the sunrise, the sun’s rays shining through the tree dotted skyline.

“She’s not in her hut again,” Finn sighed.

“She’s avoiding us,” Poe responded. Finn gave him a slight glare. “I’m joking, she probably left to do some Jedi stuff or something.”

They both stood there in silence for a moment. Jedi stuff, things both of them would never fully understand.

“Hey, it’s alright I can do the supply run myself this time,” Poe added, assuringly.  
“Really? Chewie is helping Rose with some mechanical issues with the radio system. You won’t have a co-pilot,” Finn asked.

“I’ve got it Finn, you just worry about the base… ugh, I meant settlement. Can’t believe I still get that mixed up,” Poe explained.

After the war, as co-generals, Finn and Poe together led the people in the small republic they created, wrote laws and overlooked any crucial decisions made. The planet of Ajan Kloss was perfect for growing certain crops, yet not others, and some supplies and materials weren’t easy to get. That’s where trade between planets came in.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Poe grinned, patted Finn on the shoulder and left towards the direction of the Falcon.

Rey turned off her yellow saber, breathing heavily. Training was still tiring, as usual. But training without much guidance or a master, that was something she still had to get used to. Rey knew she could do it, being self taught was what allowed her to survive on Jakku. It would keep her strong here, even if she never had to go through another war again.

Before returning back to the hustle and bustle of the city down below, she took a moment to sit on the edge of the cliff, close her eyes and breath. She felt the force flow through her. Balance. She remembered Luke’s words, Leia’s words. They echoed in her mind.

“Be with me,” she whispered to herself.  
Then another voice spoke. Yet it wasn’t an echo of words bouncing inside her brain. It wasn’t a memory returning to haunt her. No, this voice was too real. Too lifelike. And all too familiar.

“Rey.”

Rey opened her eyes, startled. She knew that voice. She had clung onto it’s sound for the past year, willing herself not to forget it.

“Ben?”

Rey got up from her seated position and faced the direction from where the sound came, or at least where she thought it did. But all she saw was the glen behind her, and the forest behind that. She shook her head and blinked quickly. “It’s not real, you’re imagining things,” Rey told herself.

Yet, it felt so real. So tangible. “I better get back,” she thought and headed back towards the trail, when a force ghost appeared.

“Leia,” Rey said relieved. The sight of her master calmed her bubbling concerns. “I heard him! Was that real or just a vision? I cannot tell.”

“You know,” Leia responded. She looked almost angelic, wearing an all white outfit, her hair tied up in a sort of bun.

Rey thought, it was just a feeling, but she knew that voice was real. It had to be.

“How did I hear him? He didn’t appear to me as you are now,” Rey asked.

“My son isn’t dead, yet he isn’t alive either. He’s in a cross…”

“Between dimensions of the force,” Rey finished, completing Leia’s thought. “The world between worlds! I read about it in the Jedi Texts. It seemed unthinkable that such a place would even exist.”

Leia nodded. “She was smart, smarter than she knew,” Leia thought to herself. She took pride in training Rey, and believed that she had turned out to be a strong Jedi. Yet she knew that Rey’s journey wasn’t over, not even close. If anything it was just beginning.

“You are the only one who can save him, return him back to the living universe,” Leia sighed, and stepped forward, standing right in front of Rey. She took a deep breath and took Rey’s hand, stroking it softly. “But just know Rey, this will demand all your strength. It’s dangerous, nobody who’s tried to return someone from the world between worlds has left alive.”

“I can save him,” Rey responded assuringly, not even hesitating a second. She had to save him. She wouldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least try.

“You may die, Rey,” Leia admitted. 

“He died for me, master. You must know that already, but he died to save me! I need to bring him back, there’s no other choice,” Rey responded, pacing slowly again. A light tear found its way past her eyelid. She wiped it away, quickly. “I just need some guidance.”

“You’re stronger than you think. You will know what to do, training isn’t everything,” Leia responded.

Rey nodded and sat on a shaded boulder, near the mouth of the trail. The sun was rising quickly, the temperature rising with it.

“And take Finn and Poe with you. You will need help, I assure you,” Leia continued.

“What if they don’t understand?” Rey asked. They both hated Kylo Ren with all their hearts. They didn’t know the Ben that saved her, they didn’t see his conflicted heart, his pain, his suffering. All they saw was what was outside of the helmet, not the cracks on the inside.

“They will have to eventually. I know you love my son. They will have to see that as well,” Leia sighed.

Rey knew Leia was right. Of course her master was right.

“Thank you, master,” Rey smiled.

“May the force be with you,” Leia spoke, then faded slowly.

Rey looked back behind her where she heard the voice.Ben’s voice.

“I’ll be with you soon. I promise,” she whispered quietly, then left down the trail, back to the city.


	2. Chapter 2

“Where were you? You’ve been gone for hours!” Finn asked, once he caught up with Rey.

He had spotted her walking down the trail that led somewhere he had never gone. A training space or something? He didn’t know.

“I need to talk to you, and Poe,” Rey responded, not exactly answering his question.

They continued to walk through alley ways and paths between buildings, heading towards the meeting hall. Poe usually spent his time there, overlooking trade deals, discussing with past admirals and war heroes as well as answering daily complaints or settling disputes. In all honesty, Rey thought he was better at starting disputes rather than ending them.

“Poe went on the supply run, the one you were supposed to go on with him,” Finn explained.

“I thought Chewie was going with him?” Rey responded, confused as they kept walking.

“Chewie had to help get the communication lines back on,” Finn continued.

“Well, once he gets back, I have to talk to you both,” Rey explained, urgently.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Finn grabbed Rey’s hand and stopped her pace. They were now standing underneath a wooden canopy with vines and flowers growing over it. Rey thought it was rather pretty. “You’ve been distant lately.”

“Finn, I’m… I’m fine,” Rey assured him. But really she wasn’t. It was hard to feel fine when her other half was missing. But Finn wouldn’t understand that yet. But would have to soon enough. He released his grasp.

“I just don’t want you to go down that path again,” he sighed.

That path. The dark side. Her flashes of anger and violence. She knew she had scared him when she started threatening her grandfather in front of him. When she used her power to destroy that transport in Pasaana.

To break their silence, the Falcon’s roar was heard from the landing area.

“He’s back,” Finn exclaimed, trying to change topics.

They both rushed to the ship. What is so important? Finn wondered to himself. Rey on the other hand could only think of their hesitance to help.

***

“You want to what?” Poe asked, a bit shocked.

They were all sitting in the Falcon as helpful crew members unloaded the supplies.  
“I’m going to the world between worlds, to bring back Ben Solo,” Rey stated again.

“I am not risking my life to return a murder from the dead,” Poe explained, his voice gaining volume.

Finn just sat with them and tried to soak in the news. No wonder Rey was hesitant with telling us, he thought.

“He is not a murder!” Rey argued, her tone strong. “He is Leia’s son,” She then lowered her voice and spoke in a soft way. “He saved my life.”

Poe stopped mid-sentence. He looked over to Finn, both a bit confused. They had watched Rey heal the snake in the ravines, but they didn’t know force healing could revive a person.

“So one act of kindness makes up for everything?” Poe started again.

“You don’t know what he’s went through,” Rey shot back. He didn’t, he had no clue. Ben had been tortured his whole life, even with Leia as a mother he had no one to turn to. Poe didn’t understand any of it.

“So you’re defending him?” He snapped.

“I’m saying that I will go and find the world between worlds without you. I will bring him back. You won’t stop me. Either join me or let me go alone,” she stated, then walked out of the Falcon and towards her hut.

Poe sighed and put his hands on his hips, exasperated. He got up out of his seat and began to leave, when Finn stopped him.

“I’m not letting her go alone,” he said simply.

“So you’re going to join the forgive-and-forget crew too?” Poe shook his head in disbelief.

“What happened to going together? This is dangerous, she could die!” Finn explained. Poe still didn’t seem to be listening. “Poe, remember Leia believed there was still light in him. She wanted him back. If you’re not going to do this for Rey, do this for Leia.”

“You trust that he won’t murder us? Bring back the dark side of the force? Create a new sith order we have to destroy?” Poe asked.

“Hell no, but I trust Rey,” Finn responded. “And she needs us.”

Poe thought a moment, then reluctantly agreed.

“I guess I’ll have to trust her too then. She saved us a couple times,” Poe gave in.

“A couple?” Finn asked.

“Okay, more than that,” Poe agreed.

They both were still reluctant to go with her, to bring back their enemy. But just this once, they would do this for Rey. They absolutely wouldn’t let her go alone.

“Together,” Finn said.  
“Together,” Poe nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

“Um, Rey?” Finn asked through her hut door.

Rey was already packing her things her in satchel. Her lightsaber, the Jedi texts, some food rations and her blaster.

“Come in,” she sighed.

The door swung open. Chewbacca, Finn and Poe stood outside.

“I told you, I’m leaving,” Rey explained and put her satchel around her chest.

“We’re going with you,” Finn responded.

Chewie spoke something in wookie, which made Rey smile.

“Well, let’s go then,” Poe clapped his hands together. “I’ll start up the Falcon.”

“Who will watch over the city?” Rey asked Finn once Poe had left their sight.

“I left Connix and Rose in charge for now,” Finn sighed.

“Did you make him change his mind?” she questioned.

“I wouldn’t let you leave here without any help. I have no clue why you’re doing what you’re doing but…” Finn shrugged, “I trust you. We both do.”

Chewie grumbled to himself.

“Yeah, and he trusts you too,” Finn nodded at Chewbacca.

“Hurry up, you three! Ships almost ready,” Poe yelled.

***

Once they had jumped to light-speed, Rey left the cockpit, and entered the lounge area. She opened her satchel and sifted through the texts before she found what she was looking for.

“So, we’re going to Ach-To first? Isn’t that where Luke had hidden away for so long?” Poe asked, observing Rey as she flipped quickly through the pages.

“Yeah, how is this going to work?” Finn added.

Rey looked up from the texts to see their bewildered faces.

“Okay,” she sighed, and closed the book. “The world between worlds has been reached before, at least if the texts are correct, yet they are extremely hard to get to. I first have to collect three artifacts, all on different planets, then use them to create a sort of key. That key can then open the “portal” to the Vergence Scatter, which there are multiple of so we would have to find the right one.”

Poe already had his hand on his forehead, his eyes closed. Just listening to the complicated plan gave him a headache, and nothing was straight forward. This whole mission relied on so many tangents and loose ends. Anything could happen.

“The reason we’re going to Ach-To is because there is a map that will lead us to the artifacts there,” she finished.

“And that’s it?” Finn clarified.

Rey paused. No, there was more. To bring a person back from that realm a test was involved. The dark side of the force would pry, strain you to your limits and nearly tear you apart, both physically and mentally. Leia had warned her about it. But Rey wouldn’t tell that to Finn or Poe, not yet.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Rey nodded.

“Well, let’s hunt down these artifacts,” Finn encouraged.

Chewbacca then called Rey over, talking quickly.

“Looks like we’re already here,” Poe got up from his seat and followed Rey into the cockpit.

The Falcon slowed out of hyperspace and the Ach-To Island came into view.

It was so familiar. Rey remembered when she first saw it. The dark and violent ocean surrounding the desolate place. Her mission, her hope to bring back Luke. All of it came back to her.

A light tear fell from her eye. Luke died here. It was an empty feeling, knowing she was returning once again, not expecting him there.

Last time was even worse than the first. She was taken over by fear. Fear of herself. Now she still had fear, but it wasn’t the same. She wasn’t afraid of how powerful she was, more that she wouldn’t be powerful enough to save him.

“Hey, you alright?” Poe asked.

“Yeah, fine,” Rey wiped the tear off her cheek. You’re fine, she repeated to herself. You’re fine.

Poe just shrugged, and looked back at the view. They landed the ship at the bottom of the staircase that led to the huts where Luke had lived to years.

Poe and Finn followed her up the stone staircase, looking around at the green grass surrounding them.

Eventually they made it to the settlement where the stone huts were built in clusters. The caretakers Rey remember were still here, cleaning and preserving away.

“So this is Ach-To. Luke really spent most of his life camped out here?” Poe asked, eyeing the stone huts.

Rey just nodded. Then turned to them.

“I think I know where the map is hidden, you can stay up here…” Rey began when Finn interrupted.

“We’re going with you,” he said bluntly.

“Lead the way,” Poe added.

Rey turned and headed towards the cave, the place that had left her feeling so alone a couple years ago. The opening of it didn’t look any less intimidating, as she stepped closer and closer to it. Its black mouth sucking her in.

“We have to go in there?” Poe asked.

“I said you can stay up here if you would like,” Rey responded.

Finn and Poe looked at each other, then watched Rey jump into the pit and splash into the water.

The cold water stung Rey’s skin, already beginning to make her hands and legs numb. She swam over to the rocky ledge and pulled herself out of the water, her hair and clothes soaked.

Finn and Poe looked down into the pit, Rey had vanished from view.

“So we go down too?” Poe asked.

“Are you afraid of some water?” Finn asked back.

“No, it’s just that… okay, I’m going in,” Poe responded. 

He cautiously stepped closer and closer to the edge of the opening, until a breath of air sucked him in.

Was this thing alive? He thought to himself. The last thing he wanted was to get eaten by a sea monster. 

Poe panicked and barely remember how to swim. The cold water numbing his limbs. 

“Help!” he choked out.

Rey turned around from where she was searching, and saw Poe struggling to swim. Quickly, she outstretched her arm and pulled him towards her. Then lifted him onto the ledge. Poe coughed out some of the water, and sat up.

“Th-*cough* thanks,” he said, shivering.

Poe had never felt that before, being lifted by the force. He hadn’t ever felt the invisible power being able to manipulate his movements.It surprised him, he couldn’t tell if it was a good sort of surprise or a bad one. Probably leaning towards the later.

Finn then plunged in next, but at least he swam. Very clumsily yes, but still he was swimming.

“What are we looking for then, exactly?” Finn asked once he pulled himself up and onto the ledge.

“Look under rocks for a wooden case,” Rey responded.

Rey began to go deeper and deeper into the cave while Finn and Poe decided to stay closer to the water.

“How does she know that? Honestly?” Finn asked once Rey was out of range.

“Know where the map is?” Poe clarified.

“No, how to swim,” Finn responded.

Poe just chuckled to himself and shrugged.

Rey continued into the cave. She knew where she was going. The mirror. She recognized it immediately; but gasped slightly when she saw it was broken, shattered. 

“How..?” she asked herself breathlessly while examining the broken wall.

The shards from the clouded mirror were all over the ground, but at the same time they weren’t. The shards formed an image, like a mosaic.

Rey recognized that imagine, that symbol from the Jedi Texts.

Carefully, she moved the shards aside to reveal an uneven rock. She lifted the rock to find a box, a wooden box.

Gently, Rey took the box out of its hiding place, and opened it. Inside there was only a piece of paper with writing she could barely read. Whoever wrote this had horrible handwriting.

“Three you seek, three you get, a familiar journey lies ahead, make the three one, and one soul you will return,” Rey read the paper aloud.

Below the writing was three different maps of three different cities. All of which weren’t labeled.

This was going to be a challenge, she honestly didn’t expect any less.


	4. Chapter 4

Back on the Falcon, Rey reread the message over and over again, trying to find any sort of clue that could help them.

She then observed the maps. Like the clue had said, they looked familiar.   
“A familiar journey lies ahead…” Rey said to herself.

“You think this map is telling us that we have been to these locations before? How would it know that?” Finn asked.

“And it has been hiding there for years and years, right? So it can’t know our history,” Poe clarified.

“I don’t think the ‘familiar journey’ is our’s. It’s a journey from legend, one that the ancient Jedis used to go on. A pilgrimage,” Rey got up and opened one of the texts in her bag. She flipped through it until she found what she was looking for.

“It was tradition for the Padawans to go on a pilgrimage to three different Jedi temples before they would become a Jedi Master. This tradition ended centuries ago, yet the temples should still be there,” she looked up from the book to see Finn and Poe looking at her. “Look, it’s a familiar journey for the Jedi, but not for us.”

Poe took the book into his own hands and tried to comprehend the small print in long paragraphs and the scribbled writing that was imprinted into the margins next to hand drawn sketches and diagrams. All the writing just made his head hurt, he handed the book back to Rey.

“Well, let’s hope you can comprehend that, cause it seems to be our only plan,” Poe sighed.

Rey smiled back at him, she was worried that Poe would resent this mission based off of the main goal, yet he was coming around. Or at least he seemed to be.

“So where to next?” Finn asked, and the three of them got up and entered the cockpit.

“Chewie take us to the Tython System,” Rey explained while flipping switches and preparing them to enter light-speed.

“Argh!” Chewbacca responded and pulled a lever. The stars began to blur, and soon enough they were traveling in hyperspace.

“What’s so special about Tython?” Poe asked, a bit curious. He minus well spend the time to find out exactly why they were going where.

“It was rumored to be one of the first Jedi Temples made,” Rey responded, reading off of the texts. “There’s not much information about it, yet it is home to Martyrium of Frozen Tears in the Meridional Ice Caps.”

“So a lot of ice?” Finn asked.

Rey just nodded and looked down at what she was wearing. Her cloak and poncho wouldn’t keep her nearly warm enough in freezing conditions.

“Great,” Poe sighed and left the cockpit. He too didn’t have anything warm to wear.

“I’ll check the ship to see if there’s any extra coats, you never know,” Finn reasoned and followed Poe out.

“Argh..agh, arwe,” Chewie explained.

“He says there should be some extras in the storage unit,” Rey translated.

“Understood,” Poe called back from a different room.

“Right,” Rey thought to herself, “I forgot he knew wookiee.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. The peace of traveling through hyperspace couldn’t be compared to anything. Even in the most intense situations and missions, traveling in light-speed calmed Rey, allowed her to think through her plans and what was ahead on the journey.

This plan was going to work, she told herself over and over again. She believed it would. Besides, there was no turning back now.

***

Chewbacca landed the ship slowly on the icy planet. The terrain was mostly flat, except for a few ice-caps on the horizon that popped out of the ground like jagged knives. 

The wind whipped around the trio’s faces. The extra coats didn’t provide nearly enough protection from the chill of the frigid climate.   
“Where do we even go?” Poe asked while trying to keep his coat on his body. 

With this type of weather Rey wouldn’t have been surprised if a snowstorm was in the forecast.

“There,” Rey pointed out towards the caps.

Poe squinted, trying to make out any sign of a settlement from his vantage point.   
“Are you sure?” Poe clarified.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Rey shot back.

“I would really hope so,” Finn sighed, and stood next to Poe. He was desperately trying to warm himself up by blowing into his hands. The effort was unsuccessful and just gave him a windful of dry chilled air instead.

“Can we hurry? I don’t think I’ll be able to stay out here much longer,” Finn shivered desperately.

Rey nodded and led them down the ice-field towards the glacier-like-mountains.

Once nearly reaching the ice-caps, it was clear that they weren’t the only ones on this planet. Even though it almost seemed inhabitable, small hut-like buildings and communities were set up off to the side, neighboring the main attraction of the whole planet. The entrance to the Tython Temple. The temple stood between two mountains, both looked almost frozen solid. 

Suddenly a loud horn blared, the sound was coming from the a sort of watchtower on the edge of the tribe like communities. Rey looked on as most people retreated from their activities and into shelters, while four other beings walked forward towards them.

Eventually the two groups met in the middle. The beings who greeting them were alien-like creatures that stood on two legs, similar to humans. On top of their already furry hair covering most of their body, they wore thick water repellent and wind blazing jackets.

“Who are you? Why do you invade our settlement on Tython?”one of the aliens spoke. He seemed to be older than the rest, possibly their leader?

“We come in peace, we’re not trying to invade your home,” Rey explained, stepping forward.

She quickly noticed one of the armed beings standing behind the elder grip tighter onto his spear as she moved. It concerned her.

“That’s what the other traitors and thieves that came before said before they attacked and murdered an entire village in the east,” he responded.

“We came for an artifact. A key to a realm to enter the Vergence Scatter…” Rey began.

“So you are a thieves. Stealing the sacred stone of Rosani?” the alien stepped forward towards the crew, along with the armed guards following behind.

“You will allow us in without harm,” Rey said quickly, trying to act fast. She waved her hand in front of his face slowly, hoping the force would get her out of this situation.

“You’re foolish tricks don’t work on baraphas,” he grabbed her hand in mid wave violently and muttered something in a foreign language. 

The three guards stepped forward and grabbed onto her arms, all three spears pointed at her face.

Poe quickly aimed his blaster at one of the guards.

“Try to kill her, we’ll kill him. All three of them, and you too,” he said quickly.

Rey looked past the elder barapha and saw three young looking children watching them from afar. Their faces showed signs of fear, yet they didn’t run away. Instead they stayed, waiting for what would happen next.

Rey shook her head violently at Poe, willing him to put the blaster down.

Poe looked at her confused. Rey nodded her head towards the children. They couldn’t fight here, not in front of them. Even if these aliens were planning to kill her, she wouldn’t let her anger or fear get the better of her again.

Poe looked at the kids and understood. Of course she was worried about their safety, their memories and protection. Even if these were the children of an evil cult she cared for them. He eventually laid the gun onto the ground and held his hands up.

Soon enough a new crew of guards entered the area, fifteen or so.

“Take her inside! The rest of you, watch these two. Don’t let them leave,” he ordered. And led Rey bound by the three guards into the temple ruins.


	5. Chapter 5

The inside of the temple was unkept, dusty and frozen solid. It took incredible skill for Rey not to slip and slide over the icy floors. The walls were stained a pale white, unlike the natural colors it was originally painted. Staircases leading up to a second level seemed to be rotten all over, and every door she saw looked like it hadn’t been opened in years.

The guards continued to force her down the hallway until they arrived at two double doors, each seemed to be made out of a type of marble.

They stopped at the doorway, and a guard began to tie Rey’s hands behind her back with some sort of rope. She protested at first, yet when a different guard stabbed her in the side with one of the spears she stopped.

“Resist again and you’ll be dead,” the elder barapha explained, “along with your accomplices.”

The doors then opened from the inside and the guards led her in. This room was completely different. Not a trace of ice nor destruction was inside. The room itself was gigantic, adorned with murals, paintings, furniture, ornaments and so much more. It was circular, with seats all around and a cleared out space in the middle.

The barapha guards tossed Rey into the center, then stood by the now closed door. Rey looked up as she tried to untied the ropes on her hands, yet the elder barapha’s words repeated in her mind. If she resisted, Finn and Poe would die.

Instead she kneeled defiantly in the center as a whole council of baraphas filed into the seats that surrounded her.

Seated in the largest chair, decorated with expensive jewels was a man. He wasn’t an alien like the rest of the baraphas, yet he wasn’t fully human either. A hybrid?

Something quickly caught Rey’s eye. On a pedestal next to the man’s throne-like chair was a crystal stone. The artifact she came for, the Stone of Rosani.

“What have you found on our ice fields, Lukin?” the man spoke. His raspy voice bounced off the walls, almost like an echo.

“A crew of three people in search of the Stone of Rosani, my king,” the elder barapha bowed.

“Ah,” the king responded. A small smile began to appear on his face.   
Rey looked up at the “king” who had now turned to face her. He looked her up and down, almost judgmentally. That’s when Rey’s heart stopped. A medallion hung around the man’s neck. A symbol of the sith.

“The punishment for the seeking of the Stone of Rosani is well known,” he continued as he got up out of his chair and entered the center circle. “Do you know what that is?”

Rey didn’t respond yet she could take a guess. 

“Death,” he responded for her. “But first why do you seek the Stone of Rosani?”

“Why do you have the emblem of the sith?” Rey asked back.

The man looked down at his chest and picked up the medallion.

“Well, there’s no harm in telling you, a weak thief on her way to death,” he taunted and kicked her side, the same place she had been stabbed. She held in a whimper as he continued to walk around her. “We are a sith clan, one of the only remaining ones in the whole galaxy. It is our duty to protect the Stone of Rosani until the heir for the Sith throne returns and uses it to bring back the true emperor. You didn’t think you were the only one wanting to reach the World Between Worlds?”

He chuckled to himself. And returned to his throne. From the side of it, he picked up a blade. It was stained with dark red blood. He walked closer and closer to Rey, then held it next to her head. 

Before he could swing a clear cut and kill her, Rey jumped up and kicked him over, then used the force to take the knife out of his hand and into her own. Quickly, she used the blade to cut herself free, and reached her hand in the direction of the guards, one of which held her saber.

The saber flung into the air and found its way into her hand, she then quickly ignited it. A wave of panic washed over the council and the elder baraphas exited the room, running in all directions. 

The guards ran at her, spears poised. She slashed through each spear, making them nothing more threatening than a wood chip. The guards were still persistent though, and charged towards her with knives. Without a choice, she stabbed each one with the tip of her lightsaber, leaving them all dead or wounded on the ground.

She then pointed the yellow saber towards the king.

“I don’t want to kill you, yet I will. I won’t leave here without the Stone of Rosani, give it to me and I’ll let you keep your life,” Rey explained.

The man looked up at her and laughed to himself.

“You want me to believe you are a Jedi? They’re extinct!” he scoffed and began to get up from where he had fallen on the floor.

Rey outstretched her hand in his direction and used to force to hold him down.

“You still don’t believe me?” she asked again.

“Let… let me go!” he yelled at her.

“Let me have the stone,” Rey shot back.

“Never!” he screamed.

Rey held him in his place and walked over to his throne, then took the stone off of the pedestal.

Once she had it in her hand, she walked over to him. Quickly she kicked him in the chest, and then released him, leaving him gasping for breath.

“As a believer and follower of the emperor, I should’ve killed you. Consider yourself lucky,” she sighed, and left the room.

She had to hurry. What if word got out of her attack? What would happen to Finn and Poe then?

Rey hurried her pace into a full out run as she left the temple and continued out into the ice-fields.


	6. Chapter 6

Rey continued to run until the 15 guards surrounding Poe and Finn came into view. She looked around, then behind her. Nobody was to be seen. Rey was honestly surprised. She assumed that there would be at least somebody chasing her down.

She ignited her saber, and then at full sprint charged towards the guards. They were far from prepared for her surprise attack, and tried to fight her off the best they could.

Finn and Poe backed away, trying not to get in the way of the spears and sabers flying, yet one of the guards took them both by their bound hands away from the fight.

Rey had defeated each guard except the one that held Finn and Poe hostage, with a knife to their throats.

“See, I will trade you,” the barapha explained. He was younger than the others, maybe a bit younger than herself, by a year or two. His hands trembled, yet it wasn’t from the cold. “I won’t hurt them if you give me back the stone.”

Rey looked down at the precious stone in her hand. If she gave it up this whole journey would be for nothing. 

“I won’t give you the stone, but you won’t hurt them either,” she spoke calmly. “Just put the knife down.”

“No, I can’t. Give me the stone or else…” he yelled back, his hand still shaking.

“It’s okay, just let them go,” Rey explained. “I really don’t want to harm you. Nobody has to get hurt.”

Right then the teenage barapha took the knife and sliced a cut through Poe’s arm. He cried out in pain and tried to shake free, yet the young guard had an extremely strong grip.

Rey stepped forward, and force-pulled the guard away from Poe and Finn, then knocked him to the ground with one of the leftover spears the other baraphas had been using.

She didn’t wait another second to see if he would get back up, instead she rushed over to Poe and Finn and used her knife to free them from the ropes that were tied around their wrists.

“You could’ve done that earlier?” Finn asked, trying to get himself loose.

“Thanks, ah… you officially got my arm sliced up,” Poe winced.

“I’ll help you on the Falcon, we have to hurry,” Rey explained.

Finn nodded and the three made their way back to the ship in the distance.

The trek was long, yet once they made it a wave of relief passed over them. Chewie spoke a greeting and began to get the ship ready for lift off.

“Chewie, you’re going to have to fly it solo. I have to help Poe,” Rey explained, while Poe sat down onto a medical bed.

“You can heal him, right?” Finn asked.

“Yes,” Rey explained. “But I’m still going to need some bandages for the blood.”

“Got it,” Finn got up and searched the compartments for any sort of cloth they could use.

Rey then sat next to Poe. He took off his coat and she rolled up his sleeves. The blood was everywhere, on his coat, his shirt, now dripping down onto his pants and onto the seat.

He closed his eyes and tried not to show how much it hurt, yet he failed miserably. The cut was deep, really deep. Rey needed to hurry before he would loose too much blood.

She extended her hand over his arm and closed her eyes, meditating. Poe watched as his wound slowly began to heal itself, the pain gradually leaving his body until all was left was a healthy arm and the blood that stained his skin.

Finn returned with a scrappy blanket, yet they made due and cleaned up any extra blood that was left on his arm or the furniture.

Rey rubbed her own hand as she got up, the pain slowly hurting her own body and tiring her.

“You okay?” Poe asked when he noticed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she responded and headed towards the cockpit.

Poe shrugged, and sat next to Finn as the ship entered hyperspace.

“Well, this has been quite an eventful day hasn’t it?” he asked.

“Thank goodness Rey got there in time, we would’ve been toast,” Finn laughed.

“We should’ve fought back when we had the chance,” Poe responded.

“Maybe,” Finn sighed.

In the cockpit, Chewie talked with Rey about the rest of her plan. He looked over at her and then muttered something in wookiee.

“I’m fine, most of the blood is Poe’s anyways,” she shrugged.

He questioned her again, concerned.

“I only got stabbed with a spear, I’ll live,” Rey laughed.

He nodded his head, then spoke under his breath in a soft tone.

“Yes, I got the stone. Do you think I would’ve returned if I didn’t?” she responded.

Chewie then quietly said a small phrase that made Rey’s heart slow.

“Yes, I want him back too,” she sighed, trying to hold back tears. “He was good… before… before he died. He was Ben.”

Chewie nodded again and looked out into space. He then spoke softly and took Rey into a hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered. A small tear fell onto her cheek, then another. She had felt like she had been holding in all these feelings for so long. It felt good to be understood. 

“Ahem, um sorry to interrupt,” Finn appeared in the doorway.

Rey sat back into the pilot’s chair and whipped the tears off her face.

“Yeah?” she asked, her voice a bit constricted.

“We’re all a bit tired, can we turn in for the night and continue tomorrow?” Finn asked.

“Best idea you’ve had all day,” Rey sighed. “Sure we’ll find a place to land the ship for the night."  
Finn nodded gratefully and left the room.

“Any place you had in mind?” Rey asked Chewie. He nodded and began to flip some switches.


	7. Chapter 7

Meanwhile in the World Between Worlds…

Ben paced in the dark void as he had done for a year, three months and six days. Yes, he had kept count. He didn’t have anything better to do with nothing to do, nobody to talk to, yet even if there was someone he probably wouldn’t speak to them much.

It had been a blessing when a ghost had came to him a few days earlier. A force ghost, his mother’s. When he saw her familiar face and smile, he looked up at her. He could barely speak, words couldn’t describe what he was feeling.

Leia had walked over to him and cupped his face in her hands. He still stared at her, not knowing what to say.

His stiff body then softened as he hugged her tight. She was a ghost, yes, yet he could feel her, hold her, just like she did to him as a child.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could make out between muffled sobs.

Leia put her hands on his shoulders and broke the hug to look at him again.

“I always knew there was light in you, my Ben,” Leia smiled, then sighed as her expression became serious. “I want to show you something.”

She led him through the confusing other-worldly pathways and arcs, to a portal like door.

“I know you want to see her,” Leia explained. She didn’t even have to say her name to notice Ben’s expression change. 

He looked at Leia a bit confused, yet also eager.

Understandingly, she smiled at him.

“You saved her life, my son,” Leia took his hand. “You love her, don’t you?”

He nodded, and then spoke. His voice hoarse and breathy.

“I couldn’t lose her mother, not her. After everything she had done for me. She cared for me like nobody else had and when nobody else would.She looked at me for who I was, and somehow she loved me. If only I had came to her sooner, we could’ve… I could’ve…”

“I know your regrets,” Leia sighed, and she opened her mouth to say something but closed it. Instead she lead him closer to the portal of whirling shades of blue, white, silver light. “Follow me.”

Leia walked through the portal and it suddenly became violent with her presence, then after a few seconds, became calm again.

Ben watched in awe, then followed, a bit hesitant at first. Yet he trusted his mother and walked through the portal.

When he opened his eyes again, jungle surrounded him. Bright sunlight began to rise over the tree-lined horizon.

He looked around, still not recognizing the planet. Leia stood next to him, still as a force ghost.

Right then a squirrel-like creature ran through him. He looked at himself, a bit bewildered.

“All living creatures can’t see you, only few can hear you if anything,” Leia responded. “We don’t have much time before you fade, we should hurry.”

“Fade?” Ben asked back, and looked skeptically at his arm. He could see it just fine. “And why are we here, where are we?”

Leia smiled to herself. The curious part of Ben had never left him. It felt like he was a child again, following her around as a toddler while she continued her work.

“We’re in Ajan Kloss,” Leia answered his second question. “And why?”

Leia continued to lead him through the dense forest, packed with trees, bushes and vines.

“To find her.”

Leia pushed aside a leafy branch to reveal Rey sitting on a boulder meditating.

A small gasp escaped Ben’s mouth. His heart skipped a beat.

She was well. At peace if anything. Moving on without him.

“She’s not as fine as you think she is,” Leia spoke, as if she could hear his thoughts. “She misses you greatly, almost painfully. I feel it when she reaches out to the force. She’s unbalanced, weaker. Like part of her is missing.”

Ben nodded slightly, yet still didn’t take his eyes of her. Above all else she was beautiful. She hadn’t changed much since he had last saw her, a year, three months and four days ago.

“Do something, say something, before your time is up,” Leia urged.

Ben still didn’t understand this whole “fading” thing, but he decided he didn’t exactly want to find out before it was too late.

“Rey…” he managed to say before he disappeared in thin air.

Leia shook her head.

“Always last minute with you.”

Now still pacing around the darkness, he wished he could’ve said more. Said anything else other than her name.

Leia hadn’t returned to him since that day, and he still wondered why he had faded. Why Leia wanted him to see Rey only for a moment before he had lost her again.

It was torture, not knowing what was going on in the outside world. Why was he even in this realm in the first place? Was there a way to escape? Either to be one with the force, or find a way to return to Rey and the living world.

He had hope. He wasn’t really gone, not yet. There had to be a reason why.


	8. Chapter 8

Rey laid awake on her small cot situated in an extra storage room in the Falcon. Her restless thoughts kept her up, not to mention the planet Chewbacca picked was crawling with unquiet spirits and ghosts she could sense through the force. Most of which she could tell were smugglers, like Han. 

She usually depended on dreams to calm her and help her escape her reality, at least that’s what she used to do. Yet dreams had become scarce and were now replaced by nightmares and force visions, tempting her with the power of the Dark-side. 

Memories floated around in her head and she decided she couldn’t sleep alone with her thoughts. The sound of rhythmic breaths could be heard from the other room, where Finn and Poe were sleeping.

Still unsettled, she got up and walked out of her room, leaving her boots and small hood vest behind. Finn and Poe slept peacefully along an extra cushion seat. They looked so calm. Rey smiled at them tenderly. At least someone around here could get some rest.

While trying not to wake them, she looked through the texts and then finally at the map they had retrieved from Ach-To. Where to next?

There were multiple possible planets the pilgrimage could’ve led to. But just by looking at the map, she had a feeling which one kept the sacred artifact.

The map illustrated a settlement along with trading posts nearby a large temple-like building. The terrain seemed densely populated with trees and forest along with mountains; she could tell by the shading.

This could relate to multiple planets and temples, yet when she traced her fingers over the building’s sketch she felt a shiver go down her spine as well as a knowing prediction wash over her. 

It was the Temple of the Force, on Ashas Ree, a planet it the outer rim. It was said to have been built over an ancient Sith temple, explaining the shivers Rey experienced when thinking about it.

“Rauw, argh rau?” Chewbacca interrupted Rey’s thoughts, entering the room.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Rey explained quietly.

He nodded and looked over at the map laid in her lap. Then he asked her something, a bit quieter once he noticed Finn beginning to stir.

“I think it’s Ashas Ree,” she responded.

Chewie yawned, losing interest, he headed towards a corridor that would lead to the engine room.

Rey put the map down and took the first artifact out of her bag, the precious stone. It lightly glimmered and glowed in the dark when she touched it. She didn’t remember it doing that before.

A bit startled, she dropped it and it fell onto the ground, clanking into a crack on the floor.

“No, no, no!” she whispered in a panicked tone.

She dropped down onto her knees and searched the ground for the stone. How could she have been so careless?

The room wasn’t lit enough for her to differentiate the tiny stone from the other pebbles and dirt packed between the floorboards. So she blindly searched the ground, using her hands as guidance.

She continued with this tactic until her hand brushed up against a smooth object and a soft blue glow appeared.

Relieved, Rey picked up the stone, but still didn’t know why it was glowing. She looked through the texts, yet there was barely any information on the Stone of Rosani anyways and if there was, it didn’t mention any glowing qualities. 

“Ugh, good morning to you too,” grumbled Poe as he sat up in the seat, still drowsy.

“Sorry if I woke you,” she apologized, and watched his gaze travel down to the glowing stone in her hand.

“Huh, it wasn’t doing that yesterday,” he noticed.

“I still don’t know why. There’s nothing about it in the texts,” Rey responded.

“I’m impressed you can even read those things,” he scoffed. “So, pilot, where’re we off to next?”

“Ashas Ree.”  
Poe thought for a second, then spoke.

“Nope, doesn’t ring a bell.”

“It’s home to many trading posts, at least that’s what I know.”

Poe just nodded and then left the room, heading towards a storage compartment that held some food. He returned in about a minute with two slices of a bread-like cake wrapped in cloth and a cup of some sort of warm liquid.

He drank the liquid cautiously, trying not to burn his lip. Then tossed over a slice of the cake to Rey. It was a horrible throw but she caught it effortlessly.

Force things, he thought to himself.

They ate the food in silence, trying not to wake Finn, when Chewie entered the room. He passed through, giving a good morning to Poe, then headed to the cockpit.

Rey looked out through the cockpit’s windshield, still munching on the sweet cake. The sun was already rising over the desolate landscape. It was desert-like yet had a packed dirt terrain instead of sand. She thought it was an odd planet indeed, and didn’t want to stay long.

“We should get going,” she said to Chewbacca.

He nodded in agreement, pressed a few buttons and flipped a switch, causing the engines to roar to life.

She then sat down in the pilot’s chair and plugged in some coordinates for Ashas Ree. 

The Flacon then lifted off the ground, first slowly, then gained speed. They flew off the planet, crossing the rising sun. 

***

The view of the Temple of the Force came into view as the Falcon entered the atmosphere. They found it easy to land on one of the landing pads, most likely used for customers heading to the trading posts nearby.

From her seat at the cockpit, Rey could see a large population of people, aliens and other creatures roaming the small city. It somewhat reminded her of the settlement they had made on Ajan Kloss.

Poe looked over his shoulder at Finn, who was still sleeping.

“I better wake him up,” he said and got up from his seat.

“Be careful, we’re landing,” Rey warned as the ship maneuvered its way to an empty pad. It wasn’t exactly a smooth ride.

“What? What’s happening?” Finn jolted awake as the ship finished its landing.

“We’re here, you really slept in,” Poe responded.

“At least let me eat!” Finn complained as Rey and Chewie emerged from the cockpit.

“No time Finn,” Rey explained while packing up the last bit of her things.

“Here,” Poe broke off a bit of the leftover breakfast cake he was eating earlier. 

Finn looked at the small serving in his hand.

“That’s not nearly enough.”  
He got up from the seat, the sunlight coming in from the opening door blinding him. Promptly, he covered his eyes with his hands.

“Let’s go,” Rey smiled at him, chuckling to herself.

“I swear, if we get ambushed again,” Finn muttered while putting on his jacket.

“Yeah, we are just looking for some of the most valuable objects in the galaxy, no big deal,” Poe responded sarcastically.

They left the ship carefully, prepared for any threats coming their way, yet the people populating the trading posts and town seemed to have better things to do. Rey sighed, relieved. 

The four of them, Chewbacca included, made their way through the crowded streets and avenues, and finally arrived at the Temple of the Force.

It was a grand building, well kept, especially compared to the last temple they visited. A long staircase led up to the front of the temple where two immensely large doors stood. They seemed to be made of some sort of stone or ore.

Rey began to climb the steps, which seemed so uninhabited compared to the busy marketplace. There wasn’t a living being near the old building. It got Rey thinking.

Finn, Poe and Chewie followed her up the steps, where they saw a mosaic made with the shades of light browns, golds and silver shards of glass plastered to the ground.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finn asked.

“It’s one of the symbols of the Jedi, the grey Jedi to be exact,” she responded, stepping around it rather than on it.

Poe looked at the building skeptically. They had made it to the top of the steps, nearly at the doorway and nobody was stopping them. It felt too quiet.

Rey reached forward to the door, which had no handle. It slid open gradually, scraping the floor as it went.

Poe cringed at the sound. If nobody knew they were here before, somebody would now. 

The inside of the temple was just as beautiful as the outside. There were arch-like doorways leading to different rooms and corridors. The floor was made of a smooth marble, shined to immaculate perfection.And the ceiling was a great dome, engraved with intricate scenes and pictures. 

A fountain could be heard from a garden to their right, with flowers planted along a cobblestone pathway that led to comfortable benches under shady trees. 

A voice then boomed that caused all four of them to stop.

“Halt!” was the one word that came from the man’s mouth. He was wearing a grey robe with a hood hiding his face. Rey’s eyes wandered to his hilt which held a blaster. 

A few second later about five other hooded men entered the hallway, blasters in hand.

“Once again we’re ambushed,” Finn said under his breath.

“Don’t act all surprised,” Poe responded.

The four of them braced for the men to attack them, take them prisoner or just kill them on the spot, yet they did neither. Instead they just waited, standing in a circle around Rey and her crew.

A moment later, did she realize, who they were waiting for.

An elderly woman emerged from a staircase at the end of the hall. She walked slowly, elegantly. Not like there were four invaders in this temple, Rey assumed, she called home.

“Stand down,” the woman said calmly.

“But Serilda…” one of the hooded men began.  
“I said stand down,” she ordered.

All the men in the grey robes backed away, allowing the woman to enter the circle.

She wore a grey dress that looked like an ocean during a storm. Different shades of dark grey overlapped, and when the wind blew through her dress, it looked even more like ocean waves.

Her hair was grey, yet it didn’t seem to be by choice, more of old age. Wrinkles lined her face and arms. Rey estimated she was about sixty years of age, maybe more.

Her dark eyes, that looked more black than brown, looked at each one of her intruders carefully, then settled on Rey.

Rey could feel the woman’s eyes look her up at down. It gave her an uneasy feeling. The woman then finally spoke.

“I know who you are.”  
The woman’s stare didn’t leave Rey. Finn and Poe glanced at each other, then at Rey for clarification.

“You are Rey Palpatine,” the woman’s voice echoed throughout the hallway.

Rey just stared back, not backing down. But when Finn looked over at her, he could see her face tense. He could lightly sense a familiar fear and anger build up in her. 

“No, just Rey,” she responded calmly. “We come in search of an artifact.”

The woman paused, a surprised expression came onto her face, then a gentle smile.

“Come, follow me,” she offered and began to walk back towards the stairs.

Without any other logical options, Rey, Finn, Poe and Chewie followed the lady up the stairs.

“I still haven’t introduced myself, I’m Serilda. I’m very sorry about that mess down there. Sometimes my guards are a bit aggressive,” she apologized while still climbing the stairs. They eventually made it to a second story.

It had windows that overlooked the trading posts and settlement. Rey looked out at it with wonder.

“Beautiful, I know,” she said, noticing Rey’s gaze. “I still marvel at it, even after living here for decades.”

Serilda then brought them to a large room that looked like a sitting room. It had multiple comfortable chairs in the center with two glass side tables at either end and one large one in the middle. The walls were decorated with paintings, books on shelves, and finally a glass case that held a small golden box.

Rey knew right away that it was the second artifact they were looking for. Serilda took note of Rey’s perception, but instead of acknowledging it, asked them to sit instead.

Poe looked at the fancy furniture made of silks and other expensive materials. He felt out of place wearing his dirty boots and pants with his casual shirt. 

“Before we start, can I get you anything. Some food or something to drink. I don’t get visitors often,” she asked in a friendly tone.

“Yes, something to eat would be appreciated,” Finn replied, still starving from not eating much of a breakfast.

Rey was still trying to determine if she could trust this lady, but so far she seemed willing to comply and didn’t attack them for asking for an artifact. Plus, she was parched. Something to drink wouldn’t hurt.

“Anything to drink would be fine,” Rey responded.

Poe stayed quiet. He wasn’t thirsty or hungry, so he decided maybe eating food from a stranger wouldn’t be necessary.

“Anything for you or the wookie?” she asked before leaving the room.

“I think we’re fine,” Poe responded, glancing at Chewie for conformation. He didn’t protest.

She nodded, not trying to convince them otherwise. A good sign, Rey thought.

Serilda returned with a silver tray holding three empty cups, a platter of some sort of sliced fruit and bread and two jugs of liquid, one a creamy white, the other a clear red. 

She handed the plate over to Finn, and then put the three glass on the table.

“You come in search of an artifact, for the Vergence Scatter I assume?” she asked while pouring the red liquid into each glass until they were halfway full.

“Yes,” Rey responded. “Do you have it?”

“Of course I do dear, yet I think you already knew that,” Serilda chuckled, then poured a bit of the cloudy white liquid into each glass, and mixed the drink with a spoon. It turned the liquid into a light baby pink. 

She handed a glass to Finn, then to Rey and finally took one herself. Rey sipped at the drink, it was sweet and also creamy. She decided she liked it. 

“I didn’t mean…” Rey began, but Serilda waved her off.

“I know child. You just have different instincts. I can’t say I’m force sensitive as well, but I’ve studied the force for years. I live in a temple named after it,” she laughed. “Now answer this though, how far along are you? You’re trying to make it to the portal, correct? Have you found the map, any other parts for the pedestal?”

“How do you know all this?” Rey asked, a bit skeptical.

“I’ve read about it, many copies of ancient texts were left behind from the Jedi order. You can say I’ve taken a liking to the informational books,” she explained.

Rey nodded. But still decided not to tell the full truth. Why would an old woman like her want to know such things? It wouldn’t exactly be for good, right?

“We’ve found the map, and it led us here,” Rey responded. She wasn’t lying, that was all true. She just decided not to reveal any more. 

Finn then interjected, “You will let us have the artifact, right? After we came all this way?”

“Yes, I will give you the Coresent Box, but first I want to know why you’re after it. Many, many followers of the Sith have been known to try to get their hands on the artifacts for generations to bring back their dead leaders. Who do you want to bring back?”

Rey sat there a moment and felt all eyes turn to her. She took a deep breath and spoke.

“Ben Solo.”

Serilda’s ears perked up at the name. She then whispered under her breath.

“Organa’s son.”  
Rey looked up at her and glanced at Poe, then Finn.

“Do you know Leia?” Poe asked, curious.

“Just briefly. It was years and years ago, when the Republic was still in existence and the Hosnian System was still intact,” Serilda explained.

For a woman living in the Outer Rim, she knew a good amount of the events that took place in the galaxy. 

There was silence in the room, other than the quiet sipping of the drinks Serilda had prepared.

“Here,” she said after a moment and got up. “This will be put to good use.”

Serilda walked over to the glass case and took out the gold box. Rey accepted it gently, then opened the lid.

Inside were small metal gears, also golden from the looks of it. At the center was a spot for the Rosani Stone to rest.

“Thank you,” Rey smiled gratefully, then put the box carefully in her satchel.

“May the force be with you,” she responded, while opening the door, leading them out into the hallway. “There’s a back exit on your left.”

The four of them walked down the hallway, turned left to find a staircase leading to a courtyard.

Once they were gone, one of the hooded men approached Serilda.

“You let them go, with the Coresent Box?” he asked, his voice dead serious.

“They have the map and they have the Stone of Rosani, I can feel it. Follow them and take the three items,” Serilda responded. “Use any force necessary, I need to get to the World Between Worlds, you know that’s my life’s work. Don’t return until you have the stone, the box and the map.”

Serilda paced the room, a sly grin appeared on her face.

“And if possible, bring back the girl too. She could be of use.”

“Right away, Serilda,” the hooded man bowed and left the room, taking a black lightsaber and large blaster with him.


	9. Chapter 9

“That was lucky,” Poe sighed as they headed back to the Falcon.

He was looking at the items being sold at the stands. The trading post seemed to have everything and attracted basically everyone.

Lines for certain materials and supplies seemed to go on forever, with other merchants taking advantage of the crowds to buy unique fruits, food and beverages.

Chewbacca eyed at a package of biscuit-like bread bits that seemed to be dusted with sugar. Rey couldn’t deny that they looked delicious.

“What? The fact that we weren’t almost killed or the fact that she actually gave us the artifact?” Finn responded to Poe’s remark.

“Both, I guess,” Poe muttered.

Rey still thought it was quite odd. Serilda had asked for nothing in return. She barely hesitated to give it to them. Why? 

Rey told herself to stop overthinking things. The woman knew Leia, the woman probably trusted Leia. That was enough for her to trust Serilda, right? Rey still wasn’t totally convinced. 

Chewbacca muttered something in wookiee. He wanted to buy the sweet biscuits.

“We don’t exactly have any money, Chewie,” Rey reminded him.

He complained for a moment before they continued on. They were nearly at the Falcon when the sound of a speeder was heard. Not just one, but five.

Rey, Finn, Poe and Chewbacca looked back to see the grey hooded men. Something wasn’t right. They held large basters in hand, and somehow Finn managed to identify them right away.

“Those are First Order blasters!” he called as they quickened their pace, which eventually turned into a full out run towards the ship.

“You two get onto the ship with the box and get it ready for takeoff, we’ll hold them off,” Poe yelled to Rey and Chewie.

He and Finn then pulled out their blasters and began to shoot at the moving speeders. The men in the gray robes promptly fired back. They didn’t notice one of the speeders pull off from the rest and head into alleyways and backstreets.

Rey rushed into the cockpit, but first hid her satchel underneath one of the floorboards. One of the many perks of using a smuggling ship.

Chewbacca got the ship ready for takeoff, only to notice that its fuel reservations were low, only enough to make a short jump to light speed and a little more so.

Rey helped him with the rest of the preparations until she heard Poe calling her from outside.

“Um, Rey!” he yelled. “We have an issue.”

She quickly got out of the pilot’s seat and headed toward the door where Finn and Poe were retreating.

“Most of them are far enough away that they won’t be a threat for takeoff but…” Poe began but the sound of a lightsaber swoosh interrupted him.

Rey looked passed him and out the door where one of the hooded men held a black lightsaber. She then watched as he separated the saber into two, and run straight for them.

“Shoot!” Rey yelped, and reached for her saber, yet it was in her satchel. How incredibly stupid! She thought to herself.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Finn sighed when he noticed her panic.

By then the man was almost inside the ship; the hum of the sabers growing closer and closer.

“Get into the cockpit and lock yourselves in. Take off as soon as possible, I have a feeling he’s going to bring the fight in here,” Rey explained while kneeling down and lifting the floorboard.

Finn headed to the cockpit while Poe helped Rey lift the huge piece of metal. Eventually they got it open, and Rey retrieved her lightsaber. She quickly turned it on and shoved the bag into Poe’s arms.

“Protect it with your life,” she said.

He nodded. “And the stone? The map?”

“All of it should be in there except the texts, those are hidden safely,” she called back while heading towards the threat.

Poe, still a bit shaken and panicked, entered the cockpit and locked the door behind him.

“Take off,” he said once seated in the pilot’s seat.

Chewie began to protest, but then stopped himself. They had to get out of here. 

Rey walked calmly towards the man in the grey robe, yet she could tell that now he was dressed differently.

He stood and stared back at her, right in the doorway of the ship, now wearing matching black pants and a tunic. His face had some sort of paint on it, all grey, but smeared into a symbol.This one wasn’t of the grey Jedi, no the Sith.

“I’m here for the map, the stone and the box,” he said simply.

“I think I could’ve guessed that,” Rey spoke in return.

“Then give it to me.”

He swung his saber at her in a fluid motion. He was skilled and quick, yet she was quicker.

She blocked his swing and pushed him back using the force. It wasn’t enough to push him out the door though, he quickly got to his feet and advanced while the ship door closed behind him.

Rey had never had a lightsaber battle inside a small ship before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

She swung towards his face, yet knowing he would be quick to block it, changed courses and and struck him in the shin.

It was a direct hit, he kneeled down in pain, but before Rey could swing at him again, he held his hand up then pushed her down the corridor and back into one of the walls.

She hit the wall forcefully, then fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of her. She realized that he had also knocked the lightsaber out of her hand.

As she tried to regain her breath, as well as get up from off the ground, she eyed the saber as it sat on the floor, out of her reach.

The man was rather quick to get up, despite his injury and walked over to Rey. On his way over, he kicked the saber so it was even farther down a separate corridor and out of sight.

Rey felt the Falcon lift off and heard blasters open fire as they zoomed off. The man looked around, a bit worried.

He was completely outnumbered now that they had left the ground, and were probably high above Ashas Ree.

“You have nowhere to go, no weapon to wield, you’re as good as dead,” he stated, growing closer and closer to Rey. Both his lightsabers were ignited. “Serilda wanted me to keep you alive, but looks like I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

With this time he was using to taunt her, Rey tried to visualize where her saber had gone. Discreetly, she reached her hand out behind her back and pulled the saber towards her.

“You’re only option here is to give over the three items in return for your life. A fine deal, if you ask me,” he said and raised his saber, ready to swing.

“I know a better one,” Rey said, and felt her lightsaber fall into the grip of her hand. 

She then blocked his swing, jumped to her feet and backed him into the wall.

He tried to push her away, yet Rey had both his lightsabers pinned against him. In one quick motion she let go of her hold, ducked down and swung her saber at his chest, leaving him dead on the ground.

She sighed at the sight and turned off her saber. The doors to the cockpit opened, and only then did she realize they were in light speed.

“Here,” Poe handed her back her satchel.

“Thanks,” she responded, then left to her makeshift bedroom.

Rey sat on her bed and took some slow deep breaths. The room around her shifted and suddenly she felt light headed. She couldn’t get his face out of her head.

She knew she had killed that man wearing the black clothes, the one Serilda had sent after her, yet when she looked at him, his lifeless body and the stab wound she had left in his chest, she saw Ben’s face. His confused, saddened and heartbreaking face, when she had stabbed him on the Death Star wreckage.

All those feelings came back to her. Her realization of Leia’s death, but not just that. Feelings of regret, frustration and even grief. She had let her anger get the better of her, she had almost killed Ben, the one person who knew her best, the one person who still cared for her. The one person who risked his life for her, more than once.

She opened the satchel and took out the Coresent Box and Rosani Stone. Carefully, she placed the stone into its proper place, right in the center of the gears. She heard a small click, and the gears began to turn yet very, very slowly.

Rey smiled at the box. They were almost there. They had two of the three artifacts. The end of her mission was within reach, but she could barely allow herself to believe it.

The events in her life had convinced her that she would never feel the true feeling of belonging. Even with Finn, Poe and Chewie, something was missing. Now, with this tiny stone and golden box, it was in her grasp. For her to take and…

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Rey?” a voice asked from outside. It was Finn.

“Come in,” she responded, trying to sound the least bit cheerful.

Finn entered the room, then closed the door behind him. It didn’t take him long to figure out that something was on her mind.

He looked at what she held in her hands. Her fingers held the box with the stone inside so gently, yet with enough grip so it wouldn’t slip, like it was a soul, a living thing and she didn’t want to loose it. It sparked a question in his mind. 

“This,” he looked at the box. Rey followed his gaze, “this whole mission…”

He paused for a moment, not knowing exactly how to phrase the next sentence.

“This dangerous, life risking mission, it’s not just to pay him back. You don’t owe him anything. There’s something else.”

Rey looked at Finn. A realization washed over her. This… this was love. The feeling she got when she was with Ben, how right it felt when they were side by side. Just the comfort of knowing he was there for her whenever she needed him, and that she would be there for him as well. How her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, how his gentle eyes made her stomach flutter. And the painful tug at her heart that would remind her that he wasn’t here, and how much she missed him. All of that, and even more feelings she couldn’t express. The need they had for each other. It was love. She loved Ben, truly loved him. A breath caught in her throat. She had to say it.

“Finn,” she said slowly. “I love him.”

Her voice was no louder than a whisper. Finn almost didn’t believe he heard her correctly. His disbelief must’ve showed on his face, since Rey was getting up to leave.

“You don’t approve,” she said, just as softly, but with an accusing edge. It felt like a jab, and in all honesty, it hurt Finn.

Rey began to walk towards the door but he pulled her back.

“Rey…” he spoke quickly. Now they stood across from each other. Thoughts raced through his mind, why? how? But he didn’t want to hurt her more than he already had. “Rey if anyone could love him, even after all he had done, it would be you.”

Rey’s face softened and she gave him a slight smile.

“We’re going to get him back, don’t worry,” he added.

“I… I just,” Rey began, her voice chocked up, “it’s my fault he’s gone and…”  
Finn shortened the distance between them and held her in a hug. Rey didn’t know if he fully understood, but it still helped to have someone to hold you.

“No, you saved the galaxy,” Finn responded.

Rey broke the hug and nodded at the statement. Yet it wasn’t true, or at least it didn’t feel true.

These people thought she was a hero. She had faced Palpatine, she defeated the Sith. The one thing they all didn’t know was that she wasn’t alone in doing so. If she had been… well, she had a feeling the result would’ve been different.


	10. Chapter 10

“Was she hurt or something?” Poe asked Finn once he returned from talking to Rey.

“No, not physically,” Finn responded.

Poe wanted to question how she was hurt, mentally? Emotionally? How? But instead he helped Chewie navigate to the closest planet where they could get fuel.

They eventually decided on Bespin. Chewie knew that Cloud City wouldn’t hold any threats to them, especially since the war was over.

They slowed out of light speed and approached the floating city.Somehow it was just like how Chewie remembered it, but without Han by his side, or expecting Lando to greet them, it felt odd.

“So Leia really was right about this place, it looks mesmerizing,” Poe said while steering the Falcon closer to a landing pad.

Rey felt the ship exit light speed and slow down for landing. She assumed Chewbacca had found a safe planet for them to fuel up.

She was thinking about going to help them, or at least pilot the ship, yet all she really wanted was to be alone at that moment. Something about accepting these feelings made her tired, yet also incredibly sad.

While laying down on her cot, trying not to fall asleep, she looked at the map in her hands. Only one more artifact to go. The map was of the temple on Vrogas Vas, a deserted planet home to practically no life forms.

Rey hoped there would be no conflicts there, a nice peaceful part of the mission without the need for killing others (in defense of course) would be wonderful.

She then put the map down, but still laid on her cot and stared at the Coresent Box with the glimmering stone inside until her eyes fluttered shut.

After the Falcon was hooked up and nearly finished taking in fuel, Poe went back inside the ship. It was quiet with Finn and Chewie outside doing who-knows-what, but Rey was still nowhere to be seen, or heard.

They needed her direction on where they were headed to next, so Poe sought out to find her. He respectfully knocked on the extra storage room door that she had been using as her living quarters. 

They had far more comfortable rooms on the ship, yet she had chosen that one. He still didn’t know why. When there was no answer he opened the door and walked inside.

He found her asleep on her makeshift bed. She hadn’t been able to sleep for the past few days, at least not deeply, but somehow now she was knocked out.

Poe felt awkward for looking at her for a bit too long, and switched his gaze to the map on the table. It was next to the precious box, which now had the gears inside it spinning slowly. He noticed the Rosani Stone was inside it as well, glowing slightly.

A bit curious, he picked up the box. The gears created a sort of calming rhythm, he didn’t know exactly how to describe it.

He put the box down, and then picked up the map. She had written in small neat handwriting Vrogas Vas underneath the third and final map.

As Poe was looking at the map, Rey had stirred awaken. Quickly, without realizing it was Poe, she somehow found her saber in her hand.

Poe looked at her, first surprised, then a bit scared. Rey turned off her lightsaber and set it back into her satchel.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, while getting out of her cot. “It’s a habit I still haven’t dropped since Jakku.”

“No, I shouldn’t have been in here,” he responded.

“Yeah, what are you doing in here?” she asked.

“We’re about to leave, where to is for you to figure out. So we can’t exactly leave without you awake,” Poe responded.

Rey nodded and then opened the door to leave the room. “Vrogas Vas, that’s where we’re headed.”


	11. Chapter 11

Once landing on Vrogas Vas, Rey could already tell they had a challenge ahead of them. To her relief there seemed to be nobody else on the planet. Not just that but there seemed to be no other lifeforms either.

Rey, Finn and Poe hiked up the sandy dune, leaving Chewie behind to fix up the Falcon (they didn’t exactly have the smoothest landing).

After reaching the top, they could see the Jedi Temple, or at least what was left of it.  
Rey thought it looked like a skeleton from a corpse, only the bones remaining. Detailed statues, walls and arches were cracked and broken, crumbling into piles of rubble. They could barely make out a building itself, the damaged walls allowed the ceiling to collapse.

The trio eventually made it to where the entrance should’ve been. Rey took out the map and looked at the diagram of the temple, then at the temple itself. So much had changed here.

“What happened?” Finn asked, almost to himself.

“Sandstorms, quakes, wars,” Rey listed out.

“Leia had been here before, she talked about it once. The war,” Poe shared.

Rey let out a small breath. Ah, Leia. What she would give to have her guidance right about now. But they didn’t have Leia with them at the moment, or any of her words of wisdom. They just had to depend on themselves.

They climbed up through the entrance, which had columns and a few walls that were still slightly intact.

“The real question we should be asking is how in the world we’re going to find this final artifact,” Poe sighed at the sight ahead.

As far as they could see was rubble, rubble and more rubble. Large chunks of walls still outlined the perimeter of the temple, but the inside was in complete ruins.

Rey couldn’t have agreed with Poe more.

“We have to start somewhere,” Rey said and began to walk towards the piles of destroyed limestone and marble.  
“Start where? Everything is covered in huge chunks of debris. We can’t lift…” Finn began, but then stopped himself as he watched Rey lift one of the slabs off the ground. It was almost twice her size and probably four times her weight. “Well, most of us can’t lift anything.”

“And you think this is easy?” Rey responded to Finn’s remark as she struggled to keep the piece of stone above the ground as she searched below.

“How should I know,” Finn shot back.

Rey just rolled her eyes, and sifted through some of the smaller pieces of rubble down below. She found that the floor of the actual temple was intact. It’s slightly scratched, but still pretty smooth marble surface felt cold against her finger tips. This was getting them somewhere.

She returned her focus onto the giant slab, and used her strength, with the help of the force, to put it aside.

“Look,” she pointed at the marble flooring. 

“And how does that help us? It’s just the floor,” Poe responded.

“It shows us that the debris doesn’t run too deep. We could clear this out eventually,” she explained.

“Eventually, yeah like in a week. And the floor wouldn’t lead to the last artifact. Who knows, somebody might’ve looted the place! I have a feeling the artifact won’t be here. Sorry to break it to you,” Poe said, exasperated. The sight of how much rubble they would have to clear was overwhelming.

“Well,” Rey said dismissively, with a glare on her face, “I’m glad my feelings tell me otherwise.”

She walked away from Poe and Finn, searching and clearing bits of debris as she went.

“You know her ‘feelings’ are usually correct?” Finn whispered to Poe.

“Oh, shut up!” Poe snapped and sat on the ground.

“All I’m saying is she’s not going to leave without the artifact. Minus well help,” he suggested and held out his hand to help Poe up.

Poe eventually took it, and began searching himself. He decided to look at the walls. Moving the giant pieces of rock and marble seemed to be Rey’s forte. Finding hidden chambers in walls and and the floor was sort of his. There was a skill set you had to have to become a spice runner.

He methodically ran his hand along the wall as he walked by, while doing this he looked at the ground for any sign of indent that could lead to something. Anything!

Eventually, he finished his round, on both the inside of the wall and out. No luck. He looked to Rey who had made some progress with the debris, but still hadn’t found anything either. And Finn wasn’t doing any better, he was looking under random pieces of rubble, just hoping an artifact would miraculously appear underneath one of the slabs. 

Poe didn’t even know what the artifact looked like! But something did catch his eye. Near the middle of the temple was these columns. There was about twelve of them or so, each was half demolished and they formed a circle altogether. Where would you keep something sacred safe? Oh maybe in the middle of a bunch of columns that would be sturdier than most of the walls of the entire temple. Something had to be there.

Piece by piece, Poe cleared out most of the rubble on the outside of the columns, trying to find a way in to the center. The spacing between each one didn’t allow him to squeeze through, but it might allow Rey.

“Rey!” he called her over.

“I mean it Poe, if you’re about to complain again…” she began.

“No, I think I’ve found something,” he interrupted.

Rey stopped what she was doing and rushed over.

“So?”

“These columns, they should be destroyed like the rest of the building, but basically half of it is still strong and sturdy…”

“And what better place to keep a valuable object other than one of the sturdiest places in the temple,” Rey finished the sentence.

“Yeah,” Poe smiled. “Do you think you can get in there?”

“I can try.”

Rey handed him her satchel, and then slowly tried to squeeze herself through. It was tight, the solid stone cylinders squished her ribs, nearly to a breaking point, but she eventually found herself on the other side.

“You got through alright?” Poe asked, a bit worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. But she was more than fine. As she cleared some little bits of debris she found a hidden trapdoor. 

The trapdoor didn’t have a handle, it was only a marble slab that fit in perfectly with the floor. She put her hands to the ground and closed her eyes, allowing the Force to flow through her. The slab began to levitate and lift off above the ground. She carefully set it aside.

Rey watched as a shadow casted down onto the ground. Quickly, she looked up at the sky, it was darkening quickly. Why? She had no clue. It wasn’t far past noon, it didn’t make sense. 

“Poe?” she asked cautiously. “What’s happening to the sky?”

Poe looked up and watched as the sun began to vanish. At first he thought it was just an eclipse, but when he looked to the horizon he discovered it was more than just that. A storm was gathering. A sandstorm.

“You have to take cover Rey, and we don’t have much time,” he explained as he watched the stormy clouds approach them faster and faster. The wind around them began to build up speed. “Can you get out of the columns?”

Rey put her hand to her bruised ribs, it hurt at the touch. She didn’t know if she could get out anytime soon. But she remembered the trapdoor and the secret room.

“I’ve got cover in here Poe, find Finn and get to the Falcon!” Rey urged.

“Leave you here? No you are coming with us. Hurry!” Poe protested.

At this point the wind had gained speed. It as beginning to pick up pieces of sand along with it, cutting Poe’s face and arms as the wind whipped around his body.

“There’s a trapdoor here, I’ll be fine. Go!” she exclaimed.

Poe nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

“Stay safe!” he yelled over the wind.

“Hurry, or you won’t be!” Rey yelled back, she then crawled into the hidden room and pulled the slab over her head.

Poe ran as fast as he could search for Finn. He eventually found him leaning up against a wall.

“Finn! We have to leave,” Poe explained, it felt like he was stating the obvious.

“Where’s Rey?” Finn responded, worried as he eyed her satchel around Poe’s chest.

“She’s safe, she found a trapdoor in the ground.”  
“We can’t leave her.”

“She told us to.”

Finn didn’t know what to say, it was far too late to go back for her now. Instead they made their way down the sand dune towards the ship.

Once at the Falcon they knocked like crazy against the door, willing it to open. Thankfully, Chewbacca heard them and opened the door.

“Can we wait it out from in here?” Poe asked Chewie. He nodded his head no, and explained that the winds would be too much for the Falcon to handle, they had to leave the planet. Poe looked at Finn and then Chewie noticed it too. Rey would be staying on the planet.

“What is it? Poe, what did he say?” Finn asked, panicked.

“We have to leave the planet,” Poe sighed.

“No, we are not leaving the planet Poe!” Finn argued.

“It’s the only way we survive, Finn. She’ll probably be fine in her bunker. We gotta live too!”

“Probably?! She’ll probably be fine?!”

Chewie looked at Poe for the order, and Finn just sat down and put his head in his hands.

“Take-off while we still can,” Poe said, still hesitant. There was an edge of regret and heartbreak in his tone. He would’ve never wanted to leave her behind, never by choice. The thing was they didn’t have a choice. Not this time.


	12. Chapter 12

Rey tried to see in the pitch black room. Without her satchel, she didn’t have anything. No lightsaber, no nothing. She felt practically blind in the bunker.

The noises from outside spooked her. Rocks crashed and moved from above. She just hoped this ceiling would stay strong.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see something. A small glimmer of light. She walked towards it and found a half lit glow rod, it flickered on and off, trying to keep a steady beam.

Rey clicked it on fully, and it was surprisingly bright. She used it to scan the room. It was an oval shape, with elegant looking storage compartments on either side and an altar-like table in at the farthest end. She looked through the drawers of items the storage compartments held. 

Most had texts, others held candles and other items used for rituals. Rey took out the candles and found some matches to light them. It definitely helped with the lighting situation. She continued her search only finding blankets with symbols embedded in them, ammunition, paintings, scrolls and a wooden box?

She opened the wooden box to find three folded pieces of paper and a lightsaber. Rey didn’t know what to do. Should she just leave it be? But something was telling her to reach for it, use it.

She decided to trust that voice, and pick up the saber. The hilt was made with a beautiful silver, artistically breathtaking, especially compared to the one she made out of her old staff.

After tracing her fingers over its unique shape and craftsmanship, she pressed the button to turn it on. A pure white beam lit the room with its familiar hum.

She looked at it in awe. She had never seen a saber like this one in her life, plus white cyber crystals were rare. After a while, she turned off the saber and looked at the pieces of paper next.

When she unfolded the papers and read the first sentence she already felt like she had invaded this Jedi’s privacy. It was a letter, addressed to a girl. Ilianna. She put it down and didn’t read any more. It wasn’t meant for her to read.

The rest of the pieces of paper were a list of planets. Her eyes scanned the list, most of the planets she didn’t recognize but a few caught her eye. Crait, Coruscant, Ach-To and for some reason, Jakku. She looked at the name of the planet she used to call home, written in someone else’s handwriting. Bolded and circled as well. Why?

But she didn’t have time to figure out that mystery, neither did she really want to. This Jedi had his or her reasons to want to travel to these planets. Rey didn’t have to know everything.

She resumed her search for the last artifact, still not knowing exactly what it would look like. As she journeyed to the far side of the room, she came upon the altar. It was simple, like an ordinary table, yet she could sense it was anything but that.

Her hands traced the layers of slabs resting upon the three main pillars that held up the altar. The slabs were movable. She carefully lifted the stone block and found a secret compartment inside. There it held a single silver gear, its shape looked like a diamond. Like a glistening star, to light his way home; she smiled to herself. 

All of a sudden, the ground began to move. A quake. What was with this planet? It felt like it was out to get her.

Rey watched as everything stayed in its place. All the compartments stayed put, yet she couldn’t say the same for the candles. 

After the ground had stopped moving, she watched as one of the flames caught onto a book, then another text and more and more scrolls. The fire grew and began to devour the wooden surfaces and the storage compartments, which were also made out of fine oakwood. 

The smoke rose and began to fill up her lungs. If she stayed in her any longer she could die. She had to get out of there.

Thinking fast, Rey began to lift the slab she had removed to get into the bunker. To her surprise, it opened quite easily.

The outside world was still a whirling windstorm, but she predicted her chances of surviving in the sandstorm was greater than inside a room caught on fire. She had made it through many sandstorms on Jakku. How different could this one be? 

It only took a matter of seconds to find out how wrong she was. The wind here was powerful. It could pick up even the largest pieces of rubble and throw it anywhere it pleased like a toy.

Rey tried to find a way to exit the columns, yet it was hard to even get up from the ground without getting blown away.

Right then, a large gust struck and launched a bolder nearby into the air. Rey watched as it struck against the columns that were surrounding her. They slowly began to fall and crumple. 

Instinct took over, and Rey found herself tucking into a small ball and holding the last artifact by her chest with all her might. She felt as the columns collapsed and pieces of rubble, small and large, fell onto her body.

The next thing she knew everything around her went black and she fell out of consciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

Half an hour later the Falcon still idled just above the atmosphere of the planet. Even from there you could see the storm clouds covering a part of the planet like a little grey patch on a beige sweater.

Poe and Finn looked out the window as the different shades of grey and black clouds turned slowly in circular motions. Little flashes of lightning flickered like sparks. It didn’t look like much from above, yet Finn and Poe knew that down there it was intense.

Poe took Finn’s hand and squeezed it gently. Finn glanced at him.

“You know she’s a fighter,” he said reassuringly.

“What if that’s the last time we see her?” Finn could help but ask out loud. 

Poe took in a deep breath and watched the storm clouds continue their little circular dance. He wondered the same. What if he left her there to die. This would all be his fault. Finn and Chewie would never forgive him, and he would probably never forgive himself either. 

But underground was the safest place possible, right? He just hoped that was true.

“Arugh, awery, mhhhm,” Chewbacca whimpered.

“You’re right Chewie,” Poe nodded in agreement. “It’s better not to watch.”

Still holding onto Finn’s hand, he pulled him away from the window and instead laid down in their bed.

“We should get some rest,” Poe suggested. Finn still was sitting up on the bed, staring at something.

“No, look!” he pointed towards the window.

Almost as fast as the storm had came, the clouds dispersed.

“We have to get back down there, now,” Poe got up and hurried to the cockpit with Chewbacca on his heels.

They quickly landed the Falcon, not crashing this time around. Once the ship had touched the ground all three of them were practically out the door.

They ran up the sand dune to find the temple, yet somehow in even worse shape than before. Poe scanned the leveled temple. He couldn’t find the strong columns that marked where the trapdoor was, but eventually he spotted it. The columns were there but collapsed. He broke out into a run.

“Poe!” Finn called after him, running as well.

“The columns, they’re in ruins,” Poe explained.

He was trying to think of a way they were going to get her out of the hidden room. Or maybe she would find a way, using the Force or something. 

But once he got closer he stopped dead in his tracks. Finn came to a stop as well, and his face fell when he too saw the limp Rey crushed underneath the rubble.

Finn’s feet felt stuck to the ground. He didn’t know what to do or say. Is she dead? Is she dead? That’s all that ran through his brain. He felt the need to run to her, lift up the debris and free her from the fallen stones, yet he couldn’t move.

Instead, Poe stepped forward and began to remove some of the lighter debris, eventually uncovering her face.

Her eyes were closed. Her face smudged with dirt, dust and ash. Ash? And there were about five major cuts on her face, each bleeding badly. 

Poe stopped and placed his hand lightly onto her forehead, then her cheek. A breath caught in his throat along with a sickening feeling in his stomach. No, stop, he told himself, you don’t know if she’s dead. But still, he couldn’t help but assume it was his fault she was in this state.

Chewie came up from behind him and whimpered at the sight of Rey. He immediately began moving the rubble, big and small, until most of her body was free. Gently he and Poe pulled her out from underneath the columns. Poe put his head to her chest, trying to make out a heartbeat.

“Come on, Rey,” he said quietly, then listened.

There it was, still beating. He sighed, relieved.

“She’s alive,” he smiled up at Chewie, then glanced at Finn. “She’s alive!”

By then Finn had made his way to Poe and Chewie. They discovered the small gear that was in her hand, she had gripped onto it so tightly that now her hand was bleeding as well.

Poe opened up Rey’s palm and took the gear out of her grasp. She did it. He couldn’t believe it. She had found the last artifact, and she had protected it with her life. The one thing she had told him to do when they were attacked by that hooded Sith man. 

Chewbacca bent down and picked her up. Together they walked back towards the Falcon. Altogether again. Just how it was meant to be.


	14. Chapter 14

Chewie put Rey onto one of the beds, then opened one of the storage compartments to find some bandages. Poe eyed her bleeding wounds. The blood wasn’t dried up, it was still in a liquid state and more of it kept leaking out. If this kept up she could… he stopped himself again. She’s not going to die.

Chewie handed the bandages to Finn, who was still in a bit of shock. He held the white pieces of cloth with a blank expression on his face. Poe predicted that he still believed Rey was gone. In all honesty, if you looked at her, she didn’t exactly seem to be alive. 

He gently took the bandages from Finn, and began to wrap them around Rey’s wounds himself. Five cuts to the head, three on her right arm, just one large gash on her left, her legs weren’t harmed at all, yet the right side of her abdomen was cut open. More red blood stained her white clothes.

“Do you have a blade?” Poe asked Chewie.

“You are not preforming surgery on her!” Finn protested. It was the first remark he had since they found her.

“It’s for her robes, they’re getting in the way,” Poe explained.

He carefully cut a small section away, just enough to reveal her wound. Poe took a damp cloth and dabbed it onto the bloody gash, not knowing exactly what he was doing. It seemed to help, yet the bleeding wouldn’t stop. 

Just as carefully, he wrapped the bandage around the wound and then around her middle, eventually tying it off. It helped with the bleeding, yet he knew it wouldn’t last long. He added a second layer just incase.

Poe stepped back and then sat down in one of the seats. All they could do was wait. It wasn’t like they had any clue of where they were going to next. 

It felt like eternities, waiting for Rey to wake up. They stayed by her side throughout the majority of the night, but once it was early morning, Finn, Chewie and Poe had dozed off to sleep.

Rey suddenly woke up, her eyes fluttered open. She didn’t know where she was. Quickly she looked at her hand, the gear was gone. With a mixture of panic and adrenaline, she sat up and tried to walk, only to fall onto the ground again. She was lightheaded, probably from the blood loss.

Finn had woken up from the noise and jumped to his feet.

“Rey! You’re awake,” he quickly helped her back onto the bed.

“Yeah, I am…” she agreed. “Where’s the gear?”

“With the rest of your things,” Finn responded quickly. “Why did you stay there? You… I thought you were dead.”

Rey looked at his worried face. Without warning he hugged her tightly. Rey gasped, the pressure pushed against not only her ribs but the cut in her side hurt her.

Finn quickly let go. 

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

She then looked down at her ruined robes and makeshift bandage across her mid-drift.

“Did Poe wrap this?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Finn responded.

“I can tell,” she gave a weak smile. “And Finn, I am sorry. It was safe in the bunker, but a fire started and I had to get above ground.”

“Just promise not to do something like that to me ever again,” he pleaded.

Rey looked at his begging eyes. He was afraid of losing her again, as if her almost dying on Exegol wasn’t enough.

“Finn, you know I can’t promise that,” she said slowly, her face serious.

“But please, at least try,” he responded.

Rey just nodded, yet she still hadn’t told him about the final test to get Ben out of the World Between Worlds. Now in this condition, it would make the challenge even harder. She wouldn’t be able to control what the Force throws at her, if she’ll die or not, but she knew she would fight as hard as possible to stay alive. For Finn. For Chewie. For Poe. And of course, for Ben. 

After a while, Finn returned to his bed to get some rest. Rey, on the other hand, got up carefully and ventured out to find something else to wear.

Poe really had butchered her robe; even the cut on her side was neater than his horrible blade-work. While looking at her side, she reminded herself to rewrap those bandages. They were beginning to bleed through. 

Rey took a few rolls and stashed them in her satchel. She then continued through a couple corridors until she reached a hallway that held three storage rooms.

She entered the first one to find that it wasn’t a storage room at all, but a bedroom. A decent sized bed laid in a corner. It was neatly made, unlike everything else on the ship. Rey marveled at the sight, it was one room in the whole ship that wasn’t a mess. Sure, it still had a thick layer of dust on most of the shelves and drawers, but the amount of junk and boxes laying around came to a total of three. Only three boxes right next to the bed.

Rey walked over to the corner and began to open the boxes. Inside were somewhat random items. A majestic blue blanket that was probably the softest thing Rey had ever felt. A black box containing inks, writing utensils and pieces of thick paper. A manual-like book on some sort of gadget. A little Rebel pilot doll. And finally a notebook. Rey opened the notebook carefully. It had a leather cover with a latch on the front to keep it closed.

On the delicate and rather thin pages, Rey found herself looking at sketches. One of a middle aged Han, another of a smiling Leia. A few others of spaceships and pilots wearing flying uniforms. Some were even of Jedis in combat and different planets with different landscapes. 

But as Rey continued to flip the pages she noticed the drawings becoming more intricate, yes, but also… darker. 

An image of a fire. Darth Vader. Planets being blown to bits. People suffering. Star destroyers. Sith. Battles. And the last sketch… was of a child in a dark void, no light surrounding him. All Rey could see from that image was a hurt boy, suffering from the darkness he thought was rising inside him.

It didn’t take much thought to know this was Ben’s. She flipped the pages back to when they were of happier things. She found herself staring at the image of Leia again. Young beautiful Leia.

Rey got up, she was getting off track. She put the items back into the box, yet kept the sketchbook.

Then she walked over to the other side of the room where another door was located. The button on the keypad was also covered in a layer of dust, which Rey promptly pressed. The door opened quite quickly to reveal a rack of hangers. And on those hangers, clothes.

Rey didn’t recognize the outfits, yet she knew exactly who they belonged to. Leia. This was Leia’s room.

She looked through the range of clothing items. Elegant dresses to cloaks and robes, the closet seemed to hold everything. They all looked so new and vibrant, like not even an ounce of sunlight had touched the clothes.

Rey held a sleeve from a heavy jacket to her nose. It didn’t smell like Leia’s usual comforting sent. It was too fabricated and new.

“She had never worn these,” Rey said to herself under her breath.

Clothing was what she had came in search for, so Rey quickly chose something. A pair of navy blue pants, along with a grey top that had no sleeves, a halter neckline and an open back that could be tied up with a string. That would do perfectly, Rey though as she took the clothes off the hangers and folded them into her satchel. 

She then found a bathroom and closed the door. Rey looked at herself in the mirror. Her cuts still bleeding out, her skin dry and caked with dirt. Her hair tangled with bits of mud and blood. She was a mess.

She first took of her old white robes and then used a towel to try to wash off the dirt that stained her skin. Her efforts weren’t the most successful, yet it felt good to get at least a bit cleaned up.

After she had tried her best to clean herself down, Rey unwrapped the bandages to reveal the gushy wounds. They were healing, yet not nearly fast enough. It stung to the exposure of air. Not a good sign.

She used the same towel to try to clean up her cuts, yet it didn’t do much good. She continued on to wrapping new bandages around her bloody injuries. After doing so, she put on the new clothes she had found in that bedroom. 

They fit her perfectly, somehow. The upper part of the halter neckline was tight against her chest, yet the rest of the blouse flowed to her hip. The dark pants where a tad bit large, yet a few stitches could easily fix that.

Rey then took out her messed up buns, leaving her brown locks to hang around her shoulder. She began to like it. 

The three buns reminded her too much of those lonely days on Jakku. Too much of her days of waiting. Too much of her lost family.

She had a family now. She had a home. And now she was still waiting, yet not on her parents, on Ben.

Rey found her hands braiding the first few strands back into a half-up hairstyle. She sighed once she was done and ran her hands through the brunette strands once more.

It was far past time to move on. To start a new beginning. A new life with those that matter most.


	15. Chapter 15

As Rey walked back towards the cockpit, she found Poe to be awake. He looked up when she entered the room, then stood up and walked over to her.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he said. His face looked tired and fraught. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Rey responded.

He eyed her new outfit, then the new bandages that she had wrapped around the cuts on her arms and hand.

“Really,” she assured him and began to walk towards her makeshift room.

“Wait,” he said quickly. Rey paused and turned around.

“I shouldn’t have left you there. If I had brought you back with us you wouldn’t be hurt. You wouldn’t have almost died and…”

“You didn’t leave me there Poe, I chose to stay,” she interrupted. “And if I hadn’t stayed we wouldn’t have found the artifact. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

Poe took in a breath and nodded.

“It’s just hard… you’re… you’re the strongest out of all of us. And to see you like that… it shook all of us up pretty bad,” he explained calmly.

Rey looked at Poe for a moment then nodded slightly. She hadn’t just scared Finn, but Poe and Chewbacca as well. Just by the expression on Poe’s face, Rey wanted to promise him that same thing she wanted to promise Finn. That she wouldn’t do that ever again. She, of course, couldn’t assure that.

“I’m sorry,” was all Rey managed to say. She then walked into the extra storage room where her cot was laid and closed the door.

Poe wanted to say something. She had said sorry. Sorry! For nearly dying! What type of a jerk was he? The least he could’ve done was complement her on her new outfit. It fit her beautifully, and he personally liked her hair down.

But instead of going after her, he laid down in the bed next to Finn and listened to his rhythmic breaths. It almost calmed him.

Breath. Pause. Breath. Pause. Breath. Pause. Breath…

As Poe laid by Finn’s side, thoughts swirled around in his brain. He had feelings for Finn since… well… since he found out that he didn’t die in their escape from the First Order all those years ago. It seemed silly to wait so long, he should’ve told him a while back, yet it never felt like the right time.

Plus he didn’t know if Finn felt the same, and he didn’t want to risk their friendship to find out. He saw how Finn cared about Rey. His love for her seemed to extend past friendship. Even Poe had felt something for Rey at first. She was a beautiful girl, who wouldn’t. But there was something different happening between those two. Heck, Finn had wanted to tell her something important, just to her, when they thought they were going to die in the sinking field. The signs were all there. 

And if there really was something between them, wouldn’t Finn have at least taken an opportunity. Shoot his shot? Wouldn’t he have told him about it? Maybe it was just friendship, and Poe had a chance.

Agh! If all this wasn’t so hard! He somehow had the courage to fly an X-wing and carry out dangerous missions, yet still couldn’t admit anything to Finn.

Maybe he would tell him tomorrow. Yeah, right, Poe thought to himself. He had told himself that every night for the past months. 

“When I feel the time is right, I will,” he mutters to himself quietly. “Might be tomorrow might be in a week, or a month, or a year.”

“You will do what?”

The sound of a voice behind him made him nearly jump out of his skin. He looked across the hall to find Rey rummaging around through some boxes and storage compartments.

“You scared me,” Poe sighed, sitting up in the bed.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Rey stopped her searching and while still kneeling on the ground, she looked at Poe with a questioning glance. He tried to avoid it.

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” he assured her.

“You know I could search your mind if I wanted to,” she reminded him, like it hadn’t crossed his mind. If anything that was his first thought: oh shoot! She can totally bust me! Rey sensed this and offered him a gentle smile. “I was kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Poe sighed relieved. But then a thought popped into his head. Maybe he should ask Rey about Finn. No, no, no! That’s a stupid idea! But he could ask if there was anything other than friendship between them two. That could work.

“I did want to ask you something though,” Poe said while clearing his throat.

By then Rey had returned to her foraging.

“Yeah?” she asked while taking out the contents of a random crate.

“Ummm…” Poe paused. How in the world would he ask this sort of question? He hadn’t thought this through.

“You don’t have to be nervous. Whatever you’re going to say, it probably won’t offend me or anything,” she interrupted, as if she could sense his apprehension.

Okay Poe, just ask it, he thought to himself and trusted that he wouldn’t mess up his question. “Do you, ummm… do you, have feelings for anyone?”

Rey froze in place. The papers she was looking through fell out of her hand. Once she came to her senses she stood up to face Poe. Obviously Finn hadn’t told him.

Poe watched as Rey hesitantly looked at him. She seemed anxious. Did he mess up? Why wasn’t she talking? What had he done?

“I can see Finn didn’t tell you…” she began.

Poe cringed at the words she had just spoken. He knew it, there was something between them.

“I get it, if you two don’t want to share anything about your relationship that’s fine,” Poe interrupted.

“What? Wait, you think me and Finn…” Rey pointed at herself then Finn who was fast asleep. She gave a little laugh. “No, I don’t like him like that. We’re just friends.”

“Oh… okay,” Poe sighed, almost relieved. “But wait. What did Finn not tell me?”

Poe looked at Rey. Now it was his turn to give the questioning glance. 

“Well, a day ago or so, I admitted to tell him… that uh…” Rey said slowly. She wasn’t ashamed of loving Ben. That wasn’t the problem. She didn’t even care if Poe judged her for the rest of her life. The problem was what Poe might do to Ben. Torment him on his past. Ben already felt guilty enough, he didn’t need the daily reminder of what he did as Kylo Ren.

“Why I’m bringing back Ben Solo, the reason is… I love him.”

Poe almost thought he hadn’t heard her right. She loved him? That monster of a man. The person who almost killed her. She actually cared for him? It didn’t make sense. It didn’t line up.

“Why?!” Poe asked outraged. He almost yelled.

“For reasons you won’t ever understand or even try to,” Rey snapped back in a similar tone.

Poe fumed from the other side of the room. He found himself standing up.

“But him of all people?”

“Why do you even care? What? Do you have feelings for me, is that what this is?” she asked, trying to make sense of his reaction. Of course she knew he wouldn’t be as understanding as Finn, but in this sort of manner? She hadn’t expected that.

“No, I don’t have feelings for you, I love Finn!”

Poe stopped right after he realized what he had said. Rey had opened her mouth for a comeback, but then closed it when she found that she didn’t need one. Instead a slight smiled spread across her face.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that… I… I…”  
“But do you?” Rey asked.

Poe just looked away.

Rey stepped closer to him. “You do!”

She got giddy as she watched his face blush. How could she have not noticed? Well she kinda did. They always seemed to have a strong connection, yet she hadn’t noticed it grow to this extent. Poe still hadn’t said anything.

“Well, when are you going to tell Finn?”

Just then a rustle sounded in the bed nearby, followed by a yawn.

“Tell me what?”

Poe and Rey looked over at Finn who, still half asleep, sat up in bed.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Rey said and crossed the room.

Poe felt a message echo in his head: tell him! It was the oddest feeling. Where had it come from?

He looked over at Rey, who gave him a smile, and then a nod before retreating to her room.

Of course it was her.

Poe then turned to Finn, already nervous and sweating. This wasn’t at all how he planned on telling him. But then again, without Rey’s extra push, maybe he would’ve never gotten the chance.


	16. Chapter 16

“So what are you two keeping from me?” Finn asked blatantly. 

Poe lightly paced the room, then stopped and put his head in his hands. He could mess this all up. Yup, that’s what was going to happen. He was going to ruin this friendship. 

But then again, the worst that could happen would be that Finn wouldn’t feel the same and feel awkward around him, which would be one: embarrassing, and two: heartbreaking. On the other end of the argument, the best that could happen, well, Poe didn’t want to get ahead of himself but a kiss would be nice.

Meanwhile, while Poe’s mind was racing, Finn grew more and more impatient.

“I’m going to ask Rey if you’re not going to tell me,” he threatened and began to walk over to her door.

“No! Wait,” Poe stopped him, and sighed.

Finn turned around and waited. He was eager to hear what Poe was going to say, but still bit worried. They usually told each other everything, why was he so hesitant and even nervous?   
“Okay, okay. Umm, well I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while, but it’s never felt like the right time or somebody else was there, and…”  
“Please, Poe! You’re killing me!”

Poe took a deep breath. Just say it! You can do it, he thought to himself.

“I like you.”  
The words escaped his mouth quickly, like a blip into light-speed.

“Yeah, I know,” Finn replied a bit confused.

“No, Finn! I like-like you!” Poe added. He put his hands on his hips and cringed. He sounded like a teenager. Crap! “I have feelings for you Finn!”

Finn paused and let the words soak in. He stood there dumbfounded.

“Please, at least say something,” Poe winced. He hated rejection. And this sort of rejection, from Finn, it would hurt.

But instead of saying anything, Finn just walked up to Poe and the unthinkable happened. He kissed him.

It was a light kiss, pretty subtle. But still a bit more than a small peck. 

Poe looked at Finn surprised and couldn’t hide the blush in his cheeks. A smile eventually appeared on his face.

“Umm, well I have too. Had feelings for you, for a while,” Finn explained. His eyes twinkled.

“And I was afraid of being rejected,” Poe muttered under his breath.

“By me? Well thanks for that. I’m not that mean,” Finn shot back. 

“Well you’re not nice enough to lie for me,” Poe responded.

“Seriously, I would die for you,” Finn exclaimed. “I have already risked my life for you. Twice!”

Poe had opened his mouth to say something, but it just kinda hanged there. He didn’t know what to say. But he did know what he was thinking: wow, I love this man. 

“Oh don’t flatter yourself,” Finn smiled jokingly and patted his back as he walked by.

“We’re you going?” Poe asked and turned around o follow. 

“Just to get a sweater, jeez,” Finn sighed and grabbed his jacket off a random hook that hung on the wall.

Poe stood there awkwardly for a second then decided to ask him something. “Umm, Finn. Since when did you know about Rey and, well, Ren?”

Finn looked up at him. He looked like he was caught up in a trap.

“Since, like a few days ago,” Finn replied.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, she didn’t tell you, did she? And that’s a personal matter.”  
“What? Did she think I wouldn’t find out?”

“Probably not, but…”

“And how did this even happen? I thought he was trying to kill her? I thought he was trying to kill all of us? I thought it was her mission to kill him?!”

“Poe, it was never her mission to…”  
“You know what I mean, Finn.”  
Finn took a deep breath and walked over to where Poe was standing. He didn’t want to speak for Rey. Heck, he barely knew why she loved Ren himself. But Poe was being a bit harsh. Maybe more than a bit.

“Something happened between them, and if she wants to tell us, she will, when she’s ready. But until then, we have to respect her. And honestly you’re doing the exact opposite of that. You’re judging her,” Finn spoke calmly.

“I’m… not… well not really… I just want to understand. We don’t want her to get hurt… we…” Poe stuttered.

“Yeah, I know. But what you’re doing right now isn’t helping her. Plus, I think she can handle herself.”  
Poe shrugged. He didn’t know what to say to that. And he did realize, though, that he was judging her. It left him feeling guilty.

“Okay, I’ll stop. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” Poe apologized.

“You honestly should be apologizing to her,” Finn stated.

“Yeah,” Poe got up and began to walk towards her room door. “I just thought she hated him!”

Finn laughed at that remark. “Yeah, me too.”


	17. Chapter 17

Rey heard a knock at the door. It was a tentative knock, starting out as a quiet tap and then escalating into a louder bang. She stood up and let the person in.

Poe stood in the doorway. His face looked flushed, but with a hint of regret and somberness? What had happened? Something definitely had. And Finn didn’t seem to be the rejecting type. He looked dazed, thinking through something. Rey could almost see the thoughts churning in his mind.

“So?” Rey asked, her voice no louder than a whisper.

“What?” Poe said, ripped out of his cloud of thought.

Rey nodded her head towards Finn. Poe had an “ah-ha” moment and lightly chuckled to himself.

“It went well,” he sighed.

“Meaning?”

“He feels the same,” Poe looked back over where Finn was playing a game of Dejarik. “Really, thank you for helping me out with that.”

“I did nothing,” Rey smiled lightly. She was about to close the door again, when Poe interrupted her.

“That wasn’t all,” he said quickly.

Rey cocked her head to the side. “Yeah?”

She watched him take a deep breath. His hands fell on his hips again. He did that when he was nervous, excited or regretful. Rey predicted nervous, but she sensed regretful. She stood there confused, whether to trust her logic or her feelings.

“I just wanted to apologize about all that back there,” he began. 

Rey cringed, he was far from decent on apologies. Way too arrogant to seem heartfelt. She took his words for a grain of salt. He was doing this to coup with his guilt, or for Finn, not for her.

“I was really harsh. I didn’t mean what I said. You have your reasons, and I should trust you on that,” he finished.

Rey waited, an “anything else?” expression appeared on her face.

“Yes, you were really harsh. But I can tell, you did mean what you said,” Rey replied blankly and tried to push by him to get out the door. 

He quickly moved to block her path, leaving Rey both annoyed and defensive. She rolled her eyes and tried to calm the anger that was beginning to simmer. She hoped she could contain it before it got to a boil.

“No, no, no! I… well… yes I was harsh but…”

“But what?”

“I still just don’t understand how! Why?”

“And even if I explain everything to you, you probably still wouldn’t!”  
“No, I would.”  
“NO, you wouldn’t. Do you know why? Because you can’t sympathize! You don’t forgive easily! That’s why!”

“I would, maybe if you actually told me! Please fill us in! How can you love Kylo Ren, the he…” Poe began, his voice rising.

By then, Finn had tried to make his way between the bickering.   
“Please! Guys, stop! Calm down!” he said trying to break up the argument, yet Poe and Rey wouldn’t listen.

“You’re wrong! I fell in love with Ben, not Kylo Ren!” Rey yelled over him.

“They are the same person!” he yelled back.

With that a serge of anger flew threw Rey. With the flick of her hand, she used the Force to throw Poe across the room.

It wasn’t a hard throw, not very violent either, but Poe was still startled. He looked up at Rey with confused and frightened glance. 

Rey took one look at Poe, and realized what she had done. Anger shouldn’t have gotten the better of her, and now she stood there, ashamed.

Quickly, she left the room and found herself moving through the corridors. She didn’t know where she was going, but she needed to be alone.


	18. Chapter 18

Finn helped Poe up to his feet, but a look of disapproval was etched onto his face.

“That couldn’t have went any better,” he said sarcastically.

Poe shook his head and looked at the ground. “Maybe if she would just tell us…” 

“No, Poe, what did you not understand from what I told you. Look what happened when you two argued!” Finn made an explosion motion with his hands and mouth “Boom!”.

“Well, she…” Poe began, yet Finn interrupted him again.

“Look, you were in the wrong on this one,” he sighed.

“Me? She was the one who threw me across the room!”

“You provoked her,” Finn stated. “You can’t apologize for your life can you?”

“I can, just she can see right through me. Yes I was guilty, I still am guilty, but I still meant every word I said,” Poe explained. “You know I just want to protect her.”

“Yes, but the thing is, you hurt her. You did. And I have no clue how you’re going to fix this.”

Poe nodded in agreement. He had screwed up big time.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Finn sighed and began to walk out of the room.

Poe wanted to protest, yet didn’t. If anyone could comfort Rey right now, it would be Finn. Or maybe Chewie, yet he was fast asleep.

Rey locked herself into that bedroom where she had found the clothes. Everything was how she left it.

She began to pace the room as the thoughts swirled in her head.

How could you do that?

You used the Force against your friend, your family!

You should be ashamed!

Your dark nature hasn’t left you!

But on the other side of the argument her mind told her the treatment was just.

He had judged you!

He would never understand!

He will always see Kylo Ren, not Ben!

You were defending Ben, protecting him!

Yet, no matter what she told herself, she was left feeling mortified for her actions, intentions and even thoughts. The guilt ate at her heart while the words Poe had spoken stung her soul.

A knock sounded at the door, yet Rey didn’t feel the need to respond. Instead, she used the Force to gently push that person away. It was Finn.

Of course he protested, yet after noticing there was no way he could go against the Force, he gave in and walked away.

As his footsteps became more faint, a Force ghost appeared. It wasn’t Luke, nor Leia, but Anakin Skywalker.

Rey stood up, a bit startled.

“I get it,” he sympathized and looked towards the door. “I’ve pushed people away so many times in my lifetime. You think nobody else would understand you.”  
Rey listened to him, and he walked across the room until he was seated on the bed. He motioned for her to do the same.

“And I know many times that my anger, even with decent explanation and reasons, have gotten the better of me. That’s how I lost everything that I loved,” he sighed and looked around the room, then finally his gaze landed at Rey.

“You’ve felt a part of that too, the loss of a loved one. My masters told me that attachment was just the beginning of the path to the Darkside. And of course, I disobeyed and fell in love,” he looked at the wall in front of them, yet it seemed like he was looking at something else, “yet I also pushed away those close to me. I gave into anger and fell to the dark.”

“Would the same happen to me?” Rey asked, she was afraid to hear the response, and he could tell.

“The final test, to bring back Ben from the World Between Worlds,” he continued. It was almost as if he had ignored her question, “it will show you your greatest fears, you weaknesses. It will tap into your anger and try to pull you to the dark. You can’t give in. Give in, you’ll die.”

Rey drew in a breath. She thought she was ready. After battling visions and nightmares, she thought she could withstand the Darkside of the Force, yet now she wasn’t so sure.

“You have a light spirit, a kind soul and forgiving heart. Using those, you’ll withstand the test. You’ve got everything in you to succeed.So it is up to you, your future,” Anakin sighed. He gave her a kind smile. Then got up from where he was seated and stood across from Rey. “Bring him home.”

Rey nodded, “I will.”

***

Rey left the room and walked over to her own. See grabbed the map and rushed over to where Finn, Poe and Chewbacca were standing.

“Let’s finish this mission,” she said and handed the map to Chewie. “Would you, plug in the coordinates for the Devaron system. Thank you.”

Chewbacca then left to the cockpit, leaving Finn, Rey and Poe alone.

“I’m really sorry. I gave into my anger and,” she took a deep breath, “I can’t go down that sort of path.”

Before Poe could say anything, she continued her talking.

“You don’t have to be sorry, for anything, I am.”  
With that she left to the cockpit and helped Chewbacca jump the ship into light-speed.

Finn and Poe stood there, dumbfounded.

“I guess you’re relieved from apologizing duty,” Finn said, almost jokingly. 

Poe sighed, “I… ugh… I still feel guilty.”  
“Yeah, and you will until she forgives you,” he stated.

“I know,” Poe replied and sat down in a seat. “I just really hope our possible last day together isn’t the memory of an argument.”  
Finn looked at Poe. He really meant it. 

“I don’t think it will be,” Finn reached out and squeezed Poe’s hand. “And I believe she’ll return.”

“I really hope you’re right.”

***

They landed the Falcon on the jungle planet. It’s terrain was uneven and finding a place to land where there wasn’t an abundance of trees was challenging. Luckily, there was a clearing nearby the temple.

The tip of the temple could be seen over the jungle canopy. It didn’t seem large in width, but in height, Rey could already tell it was a tall structure.

Rey, Finn, Poe and Chewbacca continued on, estimating which direction they would have to walk based off of their vantage point of the temple. 

They eventually reached a cracked path, which Rey could tell, used to be elegant and grand. 

A feeling washed over her as her foot touched the broken stone. It was time to part ways.

She stopped walking and the rest of the crew did the same.

“I have to go alone,” she said, and turned to face them.

Nobody argued against her. They knew the time would come.

She slid her satchel off to the side and walked up to Chewie.

He wrapped his arms around her and muttered a goodbye and good luck to her in wookie.

“Thank you, for everything,” she whispered back. Already her eyes began to turn glossy.

She then turned her gaze to Poe. She gave him a hug, then a kiss on his cheek. He accepted both gratefully.

“I forgive you,” she smiled, then gave him a nod.

“Thank you,” he replied and returned the smile.

She then looked at Finn. His eyes too were holding in tears.

He hugged her tightly, and he felt like he didn’t want to let go. She also kissed him on the cheek, then backed away to look at all three of them.

“I might not make it back. Based off of the texts nobody who’s tried to bring someone back from the World Between Worlds has made it out alive. The effort killed them,” Rey explained. She looked at each one of their faces, memorizing them, just in case.

“Well, you’ll be the first then,” Poe replied. 

It made her crack a smile, yet it eventually turned into a serious expression.

“Know that you are my family. You always have been. I love you all,” she sighed.

“We’ll see each other again, I believe that,” Finn spoke.

Rey sucked in a breath as she heard him repeat the same words she had spoken to him before leaving to Ach-To, when he was passed out and unconscious. How did he know?

She looked at them for the last time, before turning away to leave.

“Rey,” Poe said quickly, causing Rey to turn back around.

“May the Force be with you,” Finn added.

“Always,” Poe finished, and Chewie muttered something as well.

Rey just nodded, then continued on down the crumbled stone road.


	19. Chapter 19

Rey approached the Temple of Eedit. It had tall walls, that were in decent shape, which enclosed around a deserted courtyard.

The temple itself looked like two silos, one much larger than the other. It seemed to be made of a majestic grey stone that had faded into a milky white. Parts and sections were covered in overgrown moss that claimed the temple walls and structure as its home.

She continued to walk inside, the door was already propped open, like the temple was awaiting her visit. 

Towards the center was another mosaic, and if you continued on, it led to a hallway and other rooms. She began to walk down the path, yet her instincts told her otherwise.

Instead, she headed towards a small staircase that was hidden off to the side. The stairs were short, three small steps could’ve been condensed into one. She found that the steps were lined agains the outside wall, going up and up in a circular pattern.

It felt like the stair went on forever, yet eventually Rey reached the top.

There laid another mosaic, filled with water like the one on Ach-To. It’s symbol was one of the pure Jedi and the Force.

She looked out, where there was a balcony and windows showing the outside world. It was quiet a view.

Jungle and forest could be seen as far as the eye could see. Out in the distance, Rey could make out the Falcon nestled among the trees.

After a moment of taking in the view, she regained her focus on the task at hand. She turned back to the center of the room where she saw it. The pillar. 

It stood next to the mosaic, right in front of one of the grand windows. Rey opened up her satchel carefully and placed the Coresent Box, with the Rosani Stone and the special gear inside, onto the pillar.

At first nothing happened and Rey looked at the box, then around her worried. Did she choose the wrong planet? Was the portal not here? But then the Rosani Stone gave off a deadly glow. Rey closed her eyes quickly before it could blind her. When she opened them she found that the water had shifted, and the mosaic disappeared.

What replaced the image of the symbols of the Jedi made her breath catch in her throat. There was darkness, with bits of grey swirling inside. And at the center, was a cloudy, yet very real image of Ben.

“What you seek, lies ahead,” a whisper-like voice began to chant. It sounded like the wisp of wind, swirling around her and ringing in her ears. “The final test will determine your fate.” 

Rey walked closer and closer to the open void, the water now splashing and other colors of blues and whites swirled with the silver. 

“Determine your fate!” the voices echoed.

And all of a sudden, without warning, the portal sucked her in. 

Everything went dark, yet when Rey opened her eyes she found that she was underwater. Her breath escaped her mouth and bubbled up to the surface. The only problem was, she couldn’t see the surface. Up, down, side to side, there seemed to be water everywhere.

Rey felt herself drowning. Her lungs swallowing water while trying to gasp for breath. She frantically swam upwards, yet she didn’t move. She couldn’t. 

No, no, no! She thought. I can’t die, not yet, not now! 

Her final breath left her lungs, and she laid lifelessly in the water. 

***

Rey gasped in a breath and her eyes fluttered open. Her throat was incredibly dry, along with her clothing. Yes, she looked down at her clothes and they weren’t damp, but fully dry.

Didn’t she just, die? Rey looked around confused. She was on some sort of bizarre stone planet. The ground around her was flat and seemed to go on and on forever. The ground itself was all made of the same pitch black stone.

The sun above beat down on her body. Her thin grey tank top didn’t shield her enough from its merciless rays. 

She looked for her satchel, where she kept her cloak and water, yet it was no where to be found. She had lost it in the portal, or at least she thought she did. She honestly didn’t know.

There was nothing on the horizon. Nothing. No buildings, no trees, no people, no mountains. Just flat rock every which direction. It made her queasy. Rey knew that if she kept walking she would come across something, right? She at least hoped so. 

Eventually, after hours of walking, Rey thought she was going to die of heat exposure and exhaustion. There was no shade, no place to retreat and still no sign of, well, anything. She looked up at the sky. It was clear, not a cloud in sight. 

It had to be a mirage, all of it. Sweat drenched her forehead, and she promptly wiped it off. Then closed her eyes, a wave of lightheadedness and nausea washed over her. She needed rest, yet how could she rest on this black stone. It was fiery hot.

“Don’t let your eyes deceive you,” a voice popped into her head. It left as quickly as it came, and Rey knew exactly what to do.

She kept her eyes closed and just breathed. Images eventually came into focus and she was transported into another world.

The ground was packed dirt, the air, still the same temperature but she could spot a cave a few miles away.

There was an eerie silence around her. Not a living being was in sight, yet something was telling her to go into that cave.

Of course, Rey followed that instinct and made her way to the rocky opening. 

Once in the cave, she relished in the shaded shelter it gave her. She touched her hand onto the ground, it was stone cold. Looking at the present burns on her back, she lied down on the floor. 

The cool ground felt good on her back and relieved some of the pain. She closed her eyes, rest was within reach, yet an echoing voice interrupted her attempted slumber. Then came more voices; more echoes. Chants, screams, cries, laughs, yelling, orders being called. She got up off the ground and approached the cause of all of this, a single yellow kyber crystal, similar to the one she used for her lightsaber.

Curious, she reached out and picked up the small stone. It began to glow, similar to the Stone of Rosani. The light rose in brightness until the whole cave was a deadly white.

Rey closed her eyes and looked away from the stone, yet they were abruptly opened again.

Scenes flashed before her eyes. Her parents leaving her on Jakku, her younger self’s high pitched screams rang in her ears. Somehow those screams had morphed into ones of her mother as she watched the Jedi hunter kill them both with a dagger. They were her old memories, her past visions. The forest appeared next, her first encounter with Kylo Ren and the next thing she knew it turned into their first battle on Starkiller Base. 

But then she saw something else, memories that weren’t true. Parts of a made-up history that had never happened. Finn was dying. Ben wouldn’t turn to the light. Leia gave up all hope in her. The Resistance found out she was a Palpatine and casted her out. In this almost alternate universe she had turned to the dark, she became the Sith Empresses her grandfather had wanted.

“It’s my worst fears, don’t give in, don’t give in,” Rey spoke to herself. Anakin had warned her. The scenes, the memories. All of it. “Don’t give in, don’t give in.”


	20. Chapter 20

The images stopped. Everything stopped. And she found herself standing on the Death Star wreckage.

Ben appeared, without his helmet, his hair soaked. He wielded his red lightsaber and charged at her.

Hadn’t she been here before? Rey thought to herself. Her reasoning was interrupted by the swooshing sound of Ben’s lightsaber. He whirled it in a circle, taunting her.

She looked around, she couldn’t out run him and she didn’t have a saber. What would so do?

Speak to him, of course. It was Ben, this was his turning point. He would turn again.

Rey stood tall and waited for him to approach her. Not to her surprise, he did but swung the saber at her. He usually wasn’t this aggressive, especially during their saber duels.

She jumped out of the way, and used the Force to hold the saber in place.

“Please, Ben. Don’t fight! Turn to the light!” she begged as the waves washed over them.

She expected his expression to soften, his eyes to ponder the possibility. She expected him to be, well, Ben. But instead he reacted in a way she had never seen him react before.

“Ben? Who’s Ben?!” he yelled back angrily. “And I will never be tempted by the light or a weak scavenger.”

He yanked the lightsaber loose, and swung it at her again, only barely missing. Rey backed away, trying to think of her next move.

“You are Ben! Leia named you Ben! And you will turn! I know it, you’ve been abused by the dark, manipulated by it. Come home!” Rey yelled over the crashing waves.

She watched for his expression, yet he just looked at her utterly confused. Then rage kicked in and he leaped onto her.

Before Rey could react, the man she thought was Ben had his knee onto her chest, pinning her down with all his strength. Just with one forearm, he had held down both of hers and used his legs to insure she wouldn’t be able to get up. 

A sly grin appeared on his face, and he brought his saber near her face, only a few inches away from her cheek.

“I don’t know a Ben!” he yelled, a bit annoyed. “Now, little Rey, you deserve a nice scar on your face, like the one you gave me oh not so long ago.” 

He smirked at her, and tilted his saber closer and closer to the right side of her face. 

Rey tried to free herself. She tried to back away from the saber. This wasn’t Ben! This wasn’t the same person she had fought before, and loved now.

“And no, I will never bow to the light. Look how weak it makes you,” he spat out. “Nothing but a useless nobody.”  
With that, he slashed the tip of his lightsaber across her face, slowly and painfully.

Rey winced in pain, yet didn’t scream. She didn’t dare to scream. She felt her skin melt and slit open, leaving blood gushing from the cut. Tears began to fall, it clouded her vision.

“Yes, cry little girl,” he laughed. Even his voice sounded different, and Kylo Ren never laughed, not during their duels.

While he was distracted watching her suffer, Rey grabbed for the saber. With a quick snatch, she had it in her hand.

A surge of adrenaline flowed through her veins and she ignored the bloody gash that was bleeding along her cheek. Rey kicked the bastard off of her, causing him to tumble backwards. She turned on the saber and held it like she did in the throne room, in an attacking position.

A wave of anger fell over her. All she wanted to do was kill this monster, and she decided that she had no choice anyways. Either kill him, or he kills you. 

She held the saber up, ready to strike when she froze. No, don’t give into anger.

Rey took the saber and threw it out into the ocean. The current had already destroyed it to bits, there was no weapon this Kylo Ren could hold.

By then, the man had gotten to his feet. He looked at Rey with rage fuming in his eyes. His hands twitched as that same smirk reappeared.

“And look, you couldn’t even kill me. Looks like I’ll just have to kill you with my bare hands.”  
“No,” Rey responded. “I won’t fight you, Ren.”

She paused and looked over at the waves. She could survive that right? The surf seemed to be calming down. Plus she had already drowned once, what would happen if she did a second time.

“And you’re not going to kill me,” she continued.

“We’ll see,” Kylo Ren replied and threw a punch her way.

Rey dodged it, then ran with full force to the edge of the wreckage. She jumped into the air and only a split second later did she land in the water. 

Kylo Ren watched her, he laughed at the sight.

“Looks like I didn’t have to kill you. I’ll let the waves do the work for me,” he chuckled.

Rey ignored his yelling and tried to swim to the shore, yet the currents were incredibly strong.

With one quick movement, it pulled her under the waves and didn’t let go. It was like she was nothing but a piece of kelp, or seaweed. Eventually, it pulled her towards shallower water, yet the shallower it got the more rocks and hazards there were. Suddenly the current took a turn, and slammed Rey into a rock.

She had somehow managed to hold her breath, until that moment. The blow knocked the wind out of her, leaving her gasping and letting the air bubbles float to the surface. At least this time Rey could see the surface. The collision had also broken at least one rib and left a large cut in her side. The cold salt water stung at the wounds. Rey knew she needed to get to the surface. Yet once again, she couldn’t make it and her consciousness faded away.


	21. Chapter 21

When Rey awoke, for the second time, she was in a black room laying on a black bench. The walls, the floor and the ceiling was all a polished black color, glimmering to perfection. First Order cleanliness perfection.

She took a moment to asses what had happened. She had fought a villainous Kylo Ren and drowned. Her hand cautiously touched her face. She immediately found the slash on her right cheek, it was still wet with blood and hurt to the touch.

The gash in her side wasn’t any better, and she found that her whole body was still soaked from her swim.

A split second later, a door she hadn’t noticed earlier opened. And right then she realized how wrong she was. She wasn’t imprisoned by the First Order, but the Empire. A tall man wearing all black, with a cape and mask entered the room, followed by an odd droid that floated in the air. Darth Vader. Rey eventually recognized the droid to be an IT-O, Leia had told her about it. 

“Young Rey,” he spoke in his deep voice, followed by the breathing suctioning sound from his mask. 

Rey expected him to say more, explain why she was here. But no, he said nothing more, but instead let the floating droid move closer and closer to her.

It eventually cornered her into the wall and displayed a syringe filled with some sort of fluid.

Rey protested, yet with just an outstretch of his hand, Vader had held her in place for the droid to do its job. 

It quickly injected the fluids in her arm. At first Rey felt normal. She sighed, almost relieved, yet only a few moments later her surroundings became blurry, then focused again. 

She found herself becoming weak, her legs barely holding her. She leaned against the wall, and with all her strength willed herself to stay standing.

“You may want to sit through this,” Darth Vader warned. 

Rey looked at him defiantly. Yet, once she felt a burning sensation on her right foot she took his advice.

“Good, let us begin,” he stated calmly with no emotion on his face. “And know, you would be rid of all this pain if you turned to the Darkside and joined the Sith.”

“N..n..never!” Rey yelled through gritted teeth. The invisible flame traveled up her leg, her flesh throbbed in pain.

“So be it,” he sighed and walked away, yet before leaving the room entirely her spoke. “You can always change your mind. You would be a valuable asset to our Empire.”

Rey ignored his words as the fire spread about her body. Up to her chest, her arms, eventually her face. It only made her preexisting wounds hurt even more than before.

She screamed in pain. She hadn’t felt anything like it before, not from Snoke’s torture or a lightsaber wound. Even when Palpatine sucked out the majority of her life force, it didn’t hurt this badly. 

After a while the burning ceased, only to be replaced by imaginary stabs. Rey thought it was imaginary, yet it felt all too real. Some felt like she was being impaled with a lightsaber, others felt like dagger cuts, yet they left no mark, only pain.

She gasped at each slice, slitting her skin, then all of a sudden, the beating was intensified. Blow after blow, she felt lightsaber and sword blades alike pass through her. She screamed until her throat was sore and cried until there was no tears left.

Just breathe. Ignore it. They can’t break you. Breathe. She thought to herself. She closed her eyes and tried to meditate. She tried to reach out to the Force for guidance, or some sort of strength to get her through the torture. You’ll never turn. Just breathe. She repeated in her head.

She admitted that this tactic did help. The pain seemed to lessen, or at least that’s what she thought. She had no idea what to expect next.

The slashing and stabbing had stopped, yet a new pain throbbed in her head. Rey snapped out of her meditation, her eyes fluttering open. She kneeled onto the ground, her head in her hands.

She couldn’t think, it felt like her head was going to burst. Suddenly she couldn’t move, her muscles felt like they were tearing, her joints buckling. All her nerves were sensing was pain, pain, pain. It hurt so bad that words couldn’t even describe the struggle.

Her internal organs felt like they were being squeezed to a breaking point, bleeding out. She cried, yelled and screamed while trying to keep her thoughts steady: it’s all fake, resist the pain, you’ll live, stay strong; yet she couldn’t hold onto the words in her mind. 

She suddenly began to seizure, her hands staking, her mind going blank. As the drug took its toll on her, Rey passed in and out of consciousness until everything stopped.

She regained her awareness and stood up. Rey expected the dark lord to return and inject her with a different drug, or even torture her himself, yet none of that happened.

Instead the room around her faded away and she found herself in a cave, seated on a stone throne.


	22. Chapter 22

She looked around at what was around her. People in dark robes chanted, kneeling, bowing as she stood on her feet.

Her arms raised up, yet she didn’t raise them. She was trapped, inside a body with a different brain. The crowd cheered as she did so, then continued their chanting. Statues of old Sith, including Palpatine adorned the cave. And then she saw it, a statue of herself wearing a pitch black dress and hood. She was on Exegol, as Empress.

She raised another hand to silence the crowd. Rey didn’t know what her body was doing, what Empress Palpatine had in store for her. She just knew that there was nothing she could do to stop it. She eyed a reflective piece of glass that laid on the ground.

There she was, dressed in black. Her hair tied up in complex braid that wrapped around her scalp like a crown. Her eyes had no feeling, no emotion, only darkness. What had she become?

A horrified feeling passed through her body, but she decided to focus on what was in front of her. What was her evil self going to do?

“My followers! The day has come, we have defeated the Resistance and after we have exterminated our last prisoners the galaxy will be ours!” the Empress yelled, a sly smiled appeared on her face.

The crowd cheered, then began a new chant featuring drums and claps. Rey looked over to where two guards brought over the last prisoners. Her heart stopped at the sight.

There, bound and gagged was Chewbacca, Finn and Poe. No… no… no! She couldn’t! She wouldn’t! Yet Empress Palpatine had different ideas.

She walked down from her throne elegantly while drawing her lightsaber from her belt. Rey watched as her own hand switched the double bladed saber on, its hum seemed more deadly than ever. She pointed it at the three of them, her friends, her family.

Rey willed herself to stop. To remember. Yet nothing worked, and instead she walked back and forth, taunting them.

Finn’s gag had come loosed and he used the opportunity to speak, meeting the Empress’ gaze.

“Rey! Return to the light, it’s us. It’s me, Finn! Remember us!” he pleaded. Rey wanted to stop, she wanted to tell Finn that she would never hurt him, but her mouth wouldn’t move.

Instead she kicked him onto the ground, then lifted him up, Force chocking him.   
“Quiet, scum,” she hissed, then dropped him to the ground.

Rey watched as the guards adjusted their grip on him, holding him steady as he gasped for breath. 

Poe looked at him worried, then defiantly at Rey. This only caused the Empress to switch her gaze to Poe, then finally Chewie. She smirked for a moment, knowing what was coming next, and she took great joy in it. 

Rey on the other hand was dreading what was to come, she was fearful of it. She had almost became this, out of all her anger and loss of control over her power, she had almost became this monster. And she still could, if she didn’t stay strong.

“It is time,” she announced looking at the crowd of people, “for the Resistance to end!”  
They erupted in cheers as she took her saber, and with one quick stroke she sliced through all three of them, leaving them dead on the ground.

Rey wanted to cry out. In her mind she wept. In her mind tears were trickling down her cheek, over her cuts and bruises. They would’ve stung the open gash Ren had given her, yet she only felt numb.

No, no, no. Not you too. Not you! Rey wanted to say. She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream. She wanted to kneel by them and hug them tight, touch their faces and say goodbye for the last time. But none of that happened.

Instead the Empress turned away from the mess, returning to her throne in triumph and watching her followers clap, cheer, bow and shout.

Rey just kept her gaze on the three dead bodies. Her heart couldn’t take it anymore. Her lonely childhood and feeling of abandonment, Han’s death, Luke’s death, Leia’s death and Ben’s. Now with Finn, Poe and Chewie lying there, she felt like she had no one. She was alone.

No, it’s a vision, her logic told her. Yet she couldn’t shake the image of their dead bodies lying on the ground from her head.


	23. Chapter 23

The Sith Temple on Exegol eventually faded and Rey’s eyes fluttered closed. When she opened them again, she was lying in a bed, droids and people surrounded her talking amongst themselves and scurrying around.

Still confused, she looked around, what was she doing here? When she looked down at her stomach, she had found out. 

She was pregnant. Her gaze fell on the people around her. There was an abundance of beings around her, yes, but nobody there for her. Finn, Poe, Chewie or even Rose and Connix weren’t there. Her heart sank even deeper when she scanned the room for Ben. He was nowhere in sight.

A quick pain shot through her abdomen, and Rey heard a nurse encourage her to push. She did as she was told. Sweat gathered on her brow, and she was panting. She pushed again and that same pain inside her seemed like it was telling her to stop. She ignored it and carried on.

“You’re doing great. One more,” the nurse said calmly. 

Rey wanted to thank her for her gentle mannerisms. It helped her focus and calmed her down.

With another push, Rey felt something release and the next thing she knew, a cry was heard.

“She’s a beautiful baby girl,” the nurse explained.

Rey reached out to hold the child, yet the lady backed away.

“We need to check her vitals,” she explained and walked out of the room. 

Rey looked on and didn’t protest yet she felt that something wasn’t right.

Fifteen minutes later, Rey still hadn’t seen her child. She tried to get up to look for her and find that nurse that took her baby, yet every time she sat up in the bed, somebody would tell her to lie down.

She decided that she had had enough of this. She hadn’t even formally named the child before it was taken away! With a wave of her hand, Rey used a mind trick on the people in the room. As she did that, she escaped out of bed and left into the room next door, where she had watched the nurse take her girl.

Rey walked into the room, yet it was more like a long hallway, barely lit. She squinted and saw three strange looking men at the end of it, all talking quietly in hushed voices. They wore black robes. Rey knew exactly who they were, followers of Palpatine.

“Where is my daughter?!” Rey yelled. Her voice echoed to the end of the hall and all eyes fell on her. The nurse, startled, raised a black hood to her face as well and led the men out of the room.

As they were leaving, Rey could see what they were hiding. Under one of the men’s cloak was a hint of a baby girl, swaddled in a grey cloth.

“No!” Rey yelled, and she tried to use to Force to hold them back, yet either she was too weak for a Force grab or the vision just didn’t allow it, because the thieves ran away, into the night.

Rey collapsed onto the ground and buried her head in her hands. Tears flowed down her face and onto her clothes. Her eyes became puffy red and snot gathered in her nose.

“My Ciana,” she whispered the name she would’ve given her daughter. Her sobs shook her whole body, leaving her shivering in despair. Nobody came, nobody helped her, nobody noticed, and there wasn’t even a Jedi mind-trick holding any of them back. 

Out of nowhere, the ground began to shake, and the walls of the odd hallway Rey was in crumbled to bits. 

Rey got up and ran as quickly as she could, still in her pale white nightgown. The quake stopped and Rey turned around to find the landscape had changed. Not only that, but she had changed.

She was wearing a light grey scarf that wrapped around her head over a lightweight tan dress that flowed to her ankles.

She was standing on a rocky ledge with a lantern in her hand. Its glow illuminated her face, which was now older and wrinkled. She looked around at the landscape around her, and predicted she was on the plateau of the cliff. He gaze then fell on the sky where stars and nearby planets lit the pitch black sky.

Eventually, another being came into view and stood across from her. A young woman, maybe 18 years old. She carried a lightsaber, its beam was the color of that night sky, a silent black.

Rey somehow recognized the girl. Her dark, dark brown hair that could be mistaken for black was tied back in a low bun, revealing her facial features.

There Rey saw Ben’s caring eyes, his strong cheekbones and her small nose and ears. It was her child, yet… 

Rey let her thoughts trail off.

“You left me. You gave me away. For that, you will pay!” she yelled.

“I love you, Ciana! I never gave you up! I would never give you up!” Rey sobbed. She had done it, she had managed to let her child feel alone, abandoned, afraid. It was the one thing she vowed she wouldn’t do to anyone. It made Rey think of her childhood, the years of waiting, wanting to be loved and cared for. Wanting to be wanted, to be shown guidance. She had let her own daughter down. Even though it wasn’t her own fault, she felt waves of guilt and shame overcome her.

“They told me you hated me, that you wanted to be rid of me! They gave me purpose, you thought I was nothing,” Ciana accused.

“No, Ciana. They’re lying to you. They kidnapped you at your birth!” Rey responded, hoping she would believe her. 

“No, you are the liar here,” Ciana shot back. “But if you do love me so, take your life for me.”

Rey’s heart had skipped a beat, yet her answer didn’t. Without any hesitation Rey replied. “I would do anything for you, my love.”

Rey followed Ciana’s gaze. There, behind a large rock a man in a black hood aimed a blaster at Ciana. Rey watched him pull the trigger, and saw the laser come at full force towards her daughter.

Within a split second, Rey had dropped the lantern in her hand and jumped in front of the blast. She felt the laser hit her forcefully in the chest.

Her pulse began to slow, her lungs deflating and her muscles throbbed in pain. 

“Weak and pathetic, like I was told,” Ciana spat out while she watched Rey dying on the ground.

Rey just looked up at her, and with her last words, she whispered, “Turn back to the light, Ciana. You’re name, it means light… I love you…”


	24. Chapter 24

Rey suddenly found herself in an open void. Nothing but black darkness surrounded her, yet she could see. She looked at her hand and arm where cuts and bruises were dotted on her skin; they were so many of them, like an abundance of freckles that could be on one’s nose.

Her hand found her way to her chest, where the man had shot her. There was a small hole that marked the wound, it bled out like the rest of her collection of gashes and cuts; continuing to stain her pants and top with blood.

She thought maybe she had done it, maybe she would see Ben, but doubt overcame her feelings of hope. Maybe I had failed, she thought instead, maybe I am dead.

But the voice that spoke to her next answered her questioning thoughts.

“We meet again, Rey,” the voice spoke.

It sent shivers down her spine, and she tensed at the rasp in his voice.

“Palpatine,” she muttered, defiantly.

He responded to her reaction with an evil laugh that echoed in her ears. She turned in circles and looked around, trying to catch sight of him; yet his presence wasn’t visible and it gave Rey an uneasy feeling.

“I knew you would come back for him. Love is a ridiculous and foolish thing,” he chuckled. “You have passed the test, at least so far. Yet now, you will die for him.”

Rey took slow breaths and calmed herself. Don’t let him get in your head, she thought. As if he could hear her, he continued his little speech.

“Why will you die? I know you don’t have what it takes to resist the Darkside. It’s in your blood, it’s in your nature,” he taunted. 

Rey remembered that phrase. She had heard it before, yet spoken on Ben’s lips. “It’s in your nature.” He was wrong about that, and Palpatine would eventually see he was wrong as well.

“I will not be seduced to the Darkside,” Rey replied through gritted teeth.

“Ahh, they always say that,” he sighed. And she could just imagine the evil smile that would’ve came along with it. “If you want all this pain to stop, if you want to survive the torture ahead, submit to the dark. Refuse this offer, and I will assure you that you won’t last long.”

“We’ll see,” she responded. Already she was going through her meditative breaths, reaching out to the Force and preparing her body for what was ahead. 

“Right we will,” Palpatine stated.

All things then went quiet. The black void surrounding her was still. She looked around, waiting for a threat, waiting for a vision or even Palpatine himself to appear.

And then she felt a presence. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was. It wasn’t a person or a monster or a living being. It was dark. Rey then knew, it was lethal.

She waited, knowing something was coming. Like she had predicted, She felt a tug at her chest, and before she could react, she had been flung across the void.

The void didn’t seem to have any walls, or floors or a ceiling, yet the pain Rey had felt made her think otherwise. She slammed into something, hard, and tried to control her motions. She tried to hold on, onto the ground or anything really, yet she wasn’t in luck.

The Force played with her, like she was a toy. Throwing her to and fro. She found herself being whipped around, and crashing into invisible objects. 

Her body ached, yet every single time she fell, she willed herself to get back up. And she did. The Darkside tempted her, as it played back memories and illusions as before, yet Rey ignored them.

Then she felt a chocking feeling in her throat. A Force choke. It lifted her up as it blocked her airways, and once again she was gasping for breath.

She reached out to the light, found a way to pull herself free and fell onto the ground. 

You won’t take me, she said to herself in her mind. 

As she regained her balance and stood up again, she was a silhouette. It was one of a man’s, tall, handsome with luscious wavy hair. Ben. 

Rey ran towards the shadow. All she had done, all she had withstood, it was all worth it for this moment. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, hold him and never let go.

Once she reached the eerie silhouette, she hugged it tight, her body melting into his. Yet he didn’t do anything. He just stood there, didn’t hug back, didn’t talk. Yet after a moment he looked down at her, with those glistening eyes. But even then so, those expressional eyes were expressionless.

“Ben?” Rey asked. What was wrong? Had she not done it? Had she failed? 

With that word, Ben lifted her chin, yet not in a tenderly way. No, it was forceful, almost violent. Next he place a kiss on her lips, but it was meaningless. Didn’t have a hint of emotion. Didn’t have a hint of love or passion. No, it was dangerous, almost evil. A kiss of death.

Rey tried to back away. What was wrong with him? Yet he wouldn’t let her. He pulled her in close, strangling her, then threw her to the ground. That was when she realized how wrong she was. This wasn’t Ben, this was her final test.


	25. Chapter 25

He leapt towards her, tackling her to the ground. Still in shock Rey didn’t know what to do, yet her instincts eventually took over. 

She kicked him in the stomach, making him release his grasp on her chest. In one quick movement, she had gotten back onto her feet. She didn’t want to fight him, not when he looked so much like the one she loved, yet she had no choice. 

But she was still nervous, even a bit scared. She didn’t know this Ben, what he would do to her. She didn’t know how to fight him, especially without a lightsaber or blaster.

He charged at her again, and she pushed him back with the Force, yet she was weak and it was only enough to slow his speed at which he threw her against another invisible wall. 

Rey laid there, collapsed. She knew she looked shriveled, weak, and she knew that this man would take advantage of that. And knowing this knowledge, she knew how she could win this fight.

He hovered over her, probably finding some sort of enjoyment in her vulnerability. Out of nowhere, Rey pulled him forward with a Force grab. Finally, with a powerful windup, she punched him in the gut, then again in the face and a final kick to his side. She watched as he slowly faded away. Almost like he did not so long ago.

Not even a second later, she felt the Force wrap around her, yet it wasn’t balance, it wasn’t calming at all. No, this was the Darkside of the force, pulling at her and prying.

It wrapped tighter and tighter, until it felt like she couldn’t breath. Rey remembered that this wasn’t like the other tests or visions, if she died now, she would be dead forever.

She fought for every breath and continued to call out for the Lightside of the Force. She closed her eyes as the darkness whirled around her, suffocating her, squeezing her to the breaking point. She could feel it tearing at her flesh, leaving bruises, cuts and wounds. She felt it taking her energy, her breath, her heartbeat and even her life-force. It was going to take her, all of her. She was going to die.

She needed to do something. With all her remaining strength, she brought her arms close to her chest, and contracted all her muscles. Then with one large motion, she spread her arms out, and let her power erupt. A white light extended from her body, causing a powerful ripple that shattered the dark whirlpool.

As quickly as it began, all became calm. The Dark Force had subsided and Rey was left on the ground. She breathed short gasps, trying to regain her breath. 

She slowly stood up and looked around. What was coming next? Something had to be coming next. She didn’t let her guard down and tried to prepare for the next wave of whatever the Force was going to throw at her, yet nothing came.

She sighed relieved, which struck her into a coughing fit. Her whole body hurt and trembled as the coughs came, and she forced herself to stop.

In the distance, she could see another shadow. It looked like Ben, she wanted it to be Ben with all her heart.

“Ben!” she yelled weakly at the man. And he turned. She saw his face, a look of concern appeared and she felt his presence. It was him. Her Ben. Or she hoped. She really hoped. She honestly didn’t know what was real anymore. 

Even with this doubt she smiled, overjoyed, but the movement made her wince in pain as the still raw cuts stung.

With what little strength she still had, she made her way towards him, stumbling along while ignoring the pain that shot through her body with each step.


	26. Chapter 26

Ben heard the sound of his name. He knew that voice. Rey. He turned around frantically, then saw her. She was limping, holding her side as she walked. 

Immediately he was concerned. Even from a far distance, he could see that she was hurt. Blood stained her clothes, and through their Force-Bond he could sense her pain, she reeked of it. 

He ran towards her, closing the distance between them. 

“Ben? Is that y…you? Are… you real?” she asked weakly before they were too close. Her voice was breathy and he couldn’t shake look on her face. There was fear. Real fear. What had happened?

He nodded earnestly and took her into his arms. Ben hugged her tight, not wanting to let go, yet he did as he held her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. 

He had waited so long to do this. Dreamed of it, hoped that someday he would be able to taste her lips again. Even with the slight hint of blood in her mouth, he didn’t want to stop. He felt her hands lightly touch his cheek, and he let his fall to her hips, bringing her closer and closer to him until there was no space between them.

Softly, he took one hand and rubbed it against her right cheek. But stopped when he felt her flinch back, a reaction he had not expected. Only then, did he notice the blood on his hand and the open wound that started at the top of her forehead and fell down, like a trickling stream, to the nape of her neck.

He looked at her confused, his eyes begging for answers.

Rey painfully drew in a breath, not exactly wanting to tell him how his evil self had wanted payback. Yet before she could open her mouth to explain, her legs gave out and she fell into Ben’s arms.

“Rey…” he breathed, a bit panicked himself. He felt her body tremble and shiver, which only worried him even more. 

“I’m… I’m fine. Just weak, that’s a…all,” she replied. All of a sudden she felt faint. Her eyes fluttered closed, then open, then closed again.

“No, you’re… Rey, I need to…” Ben stumbled upon his words, yet Rey knew exactly what he was going to do when he brought her down into his lap and carefully placed his hand on a clear spot on her abdomen.

While doing so, he eyed her cuts and bruises. The gash in her side, the hole in her chest, the small slashes that lined her whole body. He couldn’t help but assume they were all there because of him.

“N…no,” Rey protested as he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, preparing to give his Life-Force. Weakly, she slapped his hand away. “I… I’ll live.’

Ben didn’t want to listen to her. Her weak self lying in his lap brought back the memory of her death. He wouldn’t let her die, not again. He wouldn’t!

“Please,” she squeaked and opened her eyes just enough for him to see the begging in them. He couldn’t refuse that.

With one smooth motion, he had pulled her into a bridal carry. One of his arms wrapped around her legs, the other supporting her back. His touch sent light tingles that spread across her body and she relished in the soft feeling his embrace gave her. She felt safe in his arms.

Rey closed her eyes again and rested her head against Ben’s chest. She could clearly hear his heart beating. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. It was her new favorite sound.

As Ben picked up Rey, he realized that the void had disappeared, and they were in a stone room at the top of a tall building. 

He hadn’t noticed the darkness around them fade, probably because his eyes would only focus on Rey since he had seen her again. 

He didn’t know how to get her back to… he suddenly sensed something, the Falcon, Chewbacca, Finn and Poe. They were waiting along the edge of the forest.

Ben looked out the window, where a heavy downpour of rain fell onto the jungle canopy. That didn’t matter, he would get Rey home even if it meant carrying her through a monsoon. 

What he didn’t know was that Rey was already home, curled up in his arms. Weak, yes, but still alive.


	27. Chapter 27

“How long should it take?” Poe asked. They had already waited half an hour and playing Dejarik was getting boring. Plus nobody could avoid the obvious unspoken worry in the room: Rey.

“I don’t know,” Finn shrugged back.

“How long do we wait until we assume…” Poe’s voice trailed off, not finishing the second question.

“She’s not going to die,” Finn stated, as if he knew that as a fact.

Poe didn’t respond, even though he wanted to point out that Finn might be wrong. That Rey wouldn’t have said those sorts of goodbyes if she was sure she would be back. But Finn had hope, and Poe didn’t want to destroy that.

He turned his gaze to Chewie, who still sat in the cockpit, waiting. He hadn’t left his seat since they got back, not even when Finn had invited him to play that chess game with them. 

His heart went out for him. He had lost Luke, Leia, and Han, which was probably the hardest loss of them all. But Rey had almost became family to him. He was her co-pilot and they had formed a strong bond. If he lost her, Poe didn’t know how much more Chewie could take.

He looked at Finn, then realized that all of them would be devastated if she was… well, gone. Even the thought hurt him. 

He sighed and laid down in the bed. Waiting was horrible, torturing. If only it would end.

As if his thoughts had been answered, Chewbacca yelled in wookiee, calling them to come to the cockpit.

Poe and Finn filed in, the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the windshield made Finn jump.

“What is it Chewie?” Finn asked.

“Argh. Warog heao awre,” he exclaimed while flipping some switches. 

The floodlights turned on, and there, at the edge of the trail was a figure. A person. It was too hard to tell who it was from their distance, yet they all hoped it would be Rey.

Quickly, they found their way out of the cockpit and into the main room where they threw on some coats and tumbled their way out the door.

Together, they ran out to meet the figure they had saw from the cockpit. Poe had led the way, somehow finding that he was faster than the rest, yet Chewie and Finn weren’t far behind.

He stopped when he saw the image playing in front of his eyes. There, before him was Kylo Ren holding Rey in his arms.

She was either passed out, or worse…

Poe reached for his blaster. I swear if he hurt her, he thought to himself, yet stopped when he noticed something.   
The look on Ren’s face. He hadn’t ever seen anything like it, nor was anything like Finn had described in all his years working for the First Order.

His eyes seemed worried, hurt, almost fragile as he looked from the three of them to Rey and back again. His face seemed soft, not tensed up or fuming like the usual.

And his hands, his fists that were usually clenched, they held onto Rey gently, almost tenderly as he stepped forward.

The three of them watched, waiting for an explanation. Not one of them dared to ask the question. Is she…

“She…” he stumbled upon his words. And it surprised Poe as well, his voice was like a gentle murmur, nothing like his yelling or angry curses they were used to.

“She’s really, really weak and hurt badly,” he continued. “She needs help, she’s, she’s…”  
Finn and Poe didn’t say anything, but Chewbacca whimpered something and began to walk back towards the Falcon, urging Ben to hurry.

He did, and Poe watched as Ben looked down at Rey as he held her. His eyes would only part from her every few seconds to make sure he was following them. It made him wonder what had changed, and he slowly saw that Rey’s love for Ren, or Ben, wasn’t one sided. He cared for her too. 

Poe still kept his eyes on them. Ben had placed a light kiss on Rey’s forehead and whispered something in her ear. From his distance he didn’t exactly know what, but he could see her stir slightly in his arms.

Finn then elbowed him.

“You’re staring,” he whispered.

“Were you not?” Poe shot back in a hushed tone. Finn just rolled his eyes, then continued walking. 

They eventually reached the Falcon and entered. Everyone was soaking wet, yet nobody seemed to care. Poe helped Finn clear a space on the medical bed, and Chewie went to find some new bandages, the medical kit, blankets, water or anything else he assumed Rey and Ben would need.


	28. Chapter 28

Ben took a blanket Chewie offered him, thankfully, yet after drying his cold hands, he pushed it aside. His thoughts were only on Rey. 

She had passed out again, and he wasn’t surprised. He knew if anyone else had went through what she had, they would’ve been dead. He marveled at how strong she was, yet his heart throbbed while looking at the evidence that supported his reason of amazement. 

Ben saw the container of medical supplies that was laid right next to him, and he looked to Finn, Poe and Chewie with a questioning glance.

“Go ahead,” Finn sighed, and left into a different room. Poe followed, a concerned look on his face. Chewie nodded at Ben, and then, he too left the room and entered the cockpit.

Ben looked through the supplies. Bandages, towels, a bowl of warm water, some sort of cleansing liquid, gauze, a thread and thin needle, scissors and a remedy cream. 

His gaze finally fell on Rey. He gently placed his hand on her chest, above her heart. He knew she wouldn’t want him to do this. He knew she would be angry once she found out. But, he couldn’t let her die. And just through the bond, he knew she was nearing death. Quicker by the second. Just a little should get her through, it wouldn’t heal her wounds, just keep her heart beating until they reached a proper medical facility. Not enough to kill him, but enough to save her.

He then began to patch up her wounds, starting with the large slash on her face. First, he dipped the tip of a towel into the warm water, then brushed aside her damp brown hair to dab the towel onto the wound. He noticed that Rey’s hair was down, half of it was weaved into an intricate braid that wrapped around the top of her head like a crown. That was new. And he admitted that it looked nice on her, yet now was more of a tangled mess. Still, even with her hair knotted, she took his breath away. 

He turned his attention back onto the towel, which had absorbed a good amount of blood, yet more kept coming. He could tell the cut was deep, it went through some muscle and tissue as well. If he didn’t patch it up, it could become infected. 

He washed off his hands, then threaded the needle. She was still asleep, maybe he could stitch up the wound before she awoke and felt any pain. That was his hope.

He was halfway through stitching up the slash when she began to stir. Her eyes opened, and she tried to get up, a bit startled.

“Shhh, shhh,” he stroked his hand on her other cheek, trying to stop her from moving. “You’re okay.”

“Where… where are we?” she asked, her voice still faint.

“The Falcon,” he responded and began to thread another stitch. He waited for a reaction, yet she just flinched slightly, almost like it was nothing. “How did you get this? Why are you… how…”

Rey sighed. She didn’t want to answer, but she knew he could sense her apprehension. So she explained.

“To get you out, I had to undergo a test,” she said, her voice sounded strained. “Nobody else who tried had made through it alive.”

He looked at her, at her kind and gentle eyes. She didn’t have to say any more. He knew this kind of “test” where the Force tortures you as many ways as possible, leaving you feeling drained and in agony. She didn’t deserve that, any of this.

“Why did you do that, Rey? Look at you,” Ben asked, now he was stitching near the bottom of her cheek, practically at her neck where everything was more sensitive. He felt her muscles tense at the touch of the needle. “You tasted death.”  
She smiled up at him weakly, then lifted her hand to his face, which hovered over hers.

“And I would do it all over again, as long as it meant getting you back,” she spoke slowly, her voice soft and crisp. She then dropped her hand onto her stomach.

After he had finished stitching up her wound, he moved on to clean the rest of the smaller cuts that lined her arms and legs.

He used a new towel and the cleansing liquid, which stung to the touch, yet he knew it would clean off any bacteria. She just breathed through the stings as he gently wiped her down. He couldn’t help but eye the bruises that were present as well. Dark purple circles, some larger than others, were scattered across her skin. He sighed, knowing that those would have to heal with time, a lot of it. 

The next wound was the large gash near her lower abdomen. It had caused most of her grey top to turn into a dark red. 

Ben lightly lifted the shirt until the whole gouge was exposed. He then cleaned the wound like he did to the slash along her face. She gasped at the first dab, and Ben stopped.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, then nodded for him to continue. 

He did, but much lighter. He only let the towel graze over her wound. Before more blood could bleed out, he used the gauze and bandages to cover the it.

“Better?” he asked softly. A slight smile appeared on her face.

“Good enough for now,” she responded.


	29. Chapter 29

The last large wound was the hole in her chest. It seemed like a blaster wound, but Ben wasn’t sure, it could’ve been a lightsaber stab as well.

He was about to lift her top further up, where the wound located on her chest, yet paused before doing so. His hand just hung in the air, not knowing what to do or where to go.

“It’s okay,” she nodded, acknowledging his hesitance.

He sighed and pulled her shirt to her breast, not any higher. He then cleaned the wide puncture. It was deep as well, and he knew that it too needed stitches.

“Where’s this one from?” he asked.

“Blaster,” she gasped as he threaded the first stitch through her skin. Without thinking, Rey grabbed onto his leg and squeezed while enduring the pain. She removed it, a hot flush of red came to her cheeks and she tried to avoid his eyes.

He just smiled tenderly at her, and let his left hand fall to her side, waiting there for her to hold.

Her hand found it’s way to his, and she held it tight as he finished the stitches. Once he was done, he backed away and sat on a chair nearby.

“You should sleep,” he suggested.

“We both should. You’re the one who rose from the dead,” she responded, her eyes laughing.

He nodded and got up to find a place to rest. The bed in the main area seemed to have already been used, and he didn’t exactly know where everything else was located.

“Ben?” Rey asked, her voice quiet.   
“Yes?” he turned around to face her.

“Will you… will you lay with me. Every time I close my eyes, I just see things from the… and…”

“Shh,” he hushed her softly and walked over to the medical bed. 

Carefully, he found his way into the bed, trying not to bump her. Once successfully lying next to her, Ben shifted his position so he could see her clearly. They faced each other, only inches of space separated them apart.

Rey looked at him, memorizing his every feature as if he could disappear at any moment. Ben practically did the same, yet his eyes would always land of the slash along her face. Just like mine, he thought. Just like mine.

She could tell that his thoughts were elsewhere. They wandered in the realm of blame and guilt. She had to set the record straight, make him understand that none of this was his fault.

Rey reached out with her hand and brought his to her face. She let him trace his fingers over the wound lightly. It was already healing and didn’t hurt as much to the touch.

After his fingers reached the back of her neck, she held his hand tight, then placed it onto her chest, over her beating heart. 

“That slash will heal,” she started, looking deep into his eyes. Forcing him to know that that was the truth, that she wasn’t lying to spare his feelings, “but with you gone, this won’t. You complete me Ben. It’s just taken me so long to admit it.” 

Ben didn’t know how to respond. Yet Rey knew he felt the same way. She knew he loved her, like she loved him. She knew that he couldn’t live without her, as she couldn’t. But he was still hesitant to say it, or he still had to remember how.

Rey felt him move closer instead. She felt his soft touch travel to her back, through her arms, to her chest, as he kissed her again. It was a light kiss, almost the opposite of the one they shared in the void, yet it held the same amount of passion.

His light kisses made their way to her chin, forehead, neck, nose and hands. Each one sent an electric sensation to her heart. Her skin tingled.

Once he stopped, he finally spoke, “I… it’s… I thought I wouldn’t see you again. And now here you are. In my arms. We’re together. It’s like a dream… and…”  
He paused for a moment. His voice became constricted, almost like he was choking out the last words in the sentence, like they didn’t want to leave his mouth. 

“and… I feel… I just… after all I’ve done. I don’t deserve someone like you. I was in that void for a reason. I had died for a reason. Was I meant to come back, to come back to you?”

Rey looked at his pleading and questioning eyes. It made her heart throb. She couldn’t get over the fact that he thought he wasn’t deserving. That he believed that he was only a burden to her. A burden to the universe.

“No, Ben,” she replied, and held onto his hands. She stroked it gently in small circles, a pattern that she found had calmed herself when her thoughts spiraled out of control.

He looked down at his hands, at her soft fingers following an imaginary track. She noticed his gaze, and stopped, using her hand to now lift his chin to her eye level. 

“You may think you died for a reason, but you returned. You must consider that you came back for a reason as well…”

Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to outright say it. Say that she was weaker, even in the Force, without him. That maybe his reason of return was… her.

He smiled at her and nodded. It was genuine, not forced. Not a tinge of fake emotion was on his face.

“And now, I know what that reason is,” he almost whispered and wrapped his hands around her.

She shifted with him, re-situating herself so her arms would be right up against his chest, and her head would rest in the crook of his elbow. 

“And you’ll never be alone. I won’t leave you again,” he added. His voice promising. And she wanted to believe it.

At that moment she did. She didn’t second guess, she didn’t clarify that the Force might have other plans. No, she basked in the warm of the remark. Felt the soft words hug her heart and soul.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms. It was the first peaceful night both of them had had in a long while. Pain, both internal and external, was nothing but a memory.


	30. Chapter 30

Ben had awakened before Rey, to the feeling of being watched. This was a familiar sense, somebody watching over him, yet it never became less unsettling. It always made his insides churn. Being watched came with judgement. Judgement came with punishment. Punishment came with pain. 

At least that’s what happened when he was Snoke’s apprentice. And Snoke always watched him. Not only his actions but his thoughts. Snoke could see right through him.

Yet this new observer wasn’t watching his thoughts, and didn’t see right through him, thankfully. His walls around his heart and intentions were still standing for this new viewer. The cocky pilot his mother had loved so. The one she treated like a son.

It was impossible for Ben to not hold that sort of thing against Poe. With Leia always working when he was a child he got barely any attention from her, probably only half of what Poe got. But he wasn’t going to be that petty.

Poe was her colleague (or solider or whatever they liked to call each other), so of course they spent more time with each other. And it was his choice to turn to the dark. And it was his choice to stay there. His choice to put on his false act, when he didn’t realize he didn’t need to.

Ben returned his thoughts to the situation at hand. All he wanted to do was lay with Rey. Fall back asleep next to her. Or just watch her soft breaths, feel them brush against his arm. But no, with the watchful gaze of Poe beaming over him, he didn’t feel comfortable doing neither of those things.

Instead he sat up. First lifting Rey’s head ever so gently so she wouldn’t wake up. He was tempted to place a soft kiss on her forehead, yet decided against it. Poe had already seen more than enough of their displays of affection. Especially his towards her. He swore that Poe had watched him the whole way back to the Falcon; comforting whispers, light kisses and all.

Awkwardly, he stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. You talk first? I talk first?

Poe eventually spoke, breaking the silence.

“Good morning to you too,” he said, yet it felt sarcastic. Almost like a jab.

Ben just nodded and returned the greeting, “Good morning.”

He didn’t know how the others would take it; the now obvious dynamic between him and Rey. It had been a concern of his. If they would judge her. He didn’t ask Rey about it, yet he already had an idea of Poe’s opinion on the situation.

“No mask?” Poe asked, his voice still sounded accusing-like. He waved his hands in front of his face. “It seemed to be your thing.”

Ben paused for a moment. What was he supposed to say to that?

“That was Kylo Ren’s thing,” he explained, in a calm manor he wasn’t used to. And by Poe’s expression he wasn’t expecting such a response either.

“Kylo Ren versus Ben, Rey told me all about it,” he replied. Why wouldn’t he drop the sarcasm? Ben grew annoyed, but he let the remark roll off him, like water over a smooth rock.

“She did?” he asked instead and glanced at Rey for a split second.

“Well, no… not exactly… I mean, she tried,” he explained. Ben noted that for a General, he was horrible at explaining things. But unlike his other responses, this one seemed real. Almost genuine as genuine can get between them.

“Of course she did,” he smiled to himself. It was a slight smile, weak and only lasted a second before his facial expressions turned blank and harder to read again. 

Poe took notice, of the smile at least. It was the first time he had seen him smile. It caught him off guard.

“Since how long had you two been, well…” Poe’s voice trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence. He thought if Rey wouldn’t tell him maybe Ben could. Maybe??? He seemed like the least likely one to answer his questions. But why not try? It wasn’t like he was going to kill him. Well, Poe suddenly realized that he didn’t know that. Not for sure.

“And how long have YOU two been, well…?” Ben asked the question right back while motioning at Finn, who laid in the large bed that Poe was sitting on.

Dang it! Deflection! Poe knew it all too well. But then his thoughts froze. Wait, how did he know?

Almost as if Ben heard Poe’s inner remark, which Poe honestly thought he did, he responded, “I made the connections.”

“Huh,” Poe mulled over the response. Force things, he reasoned. But then again, it took Rey longer for her to realize. How did he know so quickly?

“Is there any food around here?” Ben asked, so nonchalantly, like there wasn’t a thick cloud of tension looming overhead.

“In a storage room down the hall,” Poe responded, as polite as possible.   
Ben nodded and began to leave the room, then turned quickly back to Poe. 

“If she wakes up, don’t let her get out of bed. She might think she’s healed, or feeling better, yet she is far from it,” he began, a look of concern covered his face, his eyes. “She doesn’t think I noticed, but she’s still in pain. I can’t let her walk around on a broken rib or three.”

Poe nodded, then Ben left the room. Padding away down the corridor, until he was out of sight.

Hm. Poe thought to himself. 

Ben’s demeanor was totally different. Like he did a 180 over night. His once angry and sullen expressions and actions seemed to have ceased. Replaced now with a whole new person. A person that could care. A person that could feel. A person that could hope. A person that could love. At least that’s what it seemed. 

Maybe he really has changed. But still Poe didn’t want to get ahead of himself. Nobody could change like that. Especially someone like him. After all he had done? Willingly? He stuck with the “maybe”. 

Ben was walking through the corridors. “A storage room down the hall”, heck he had already past five! Each one held nothing resembling food. Blankets, extra parts, random objects, some random books (probably manuals of some kind), weapons, blasters and some were even empty! Nothing nearly edible.

He continued onto the next room, considering the idea that maybe Poe had given him the wrong directions, when, suddenly, he bumped into something. No, someone.

Ben cursed himself silently. How didn’t he sense anyone approaching? Then again, he was distracted in his own thoughts. But Luke had taught him better, Snoke had taught him better.

Chewbacca looked down at Ben. He whimpered something softly, then took him into a hug. Ben let the large being hug him tight, like he had when he was younger. 

At first he almost resisted the hug, wanted to push away, ashamed. He had tortured Chewbacca. HURT him. And now, here he was, holding him in a hug like none of that ever happened. After a moment though, he sank into the tall figure’s shaggy fur. And he cried. He cried for his mother. His farther. Even for his uncle. All these people they were both close to, he cried for them. 

He had tried so long not to show any emotion. It took him a while to even let Rey in, and still he hadn’t cried in front of her, not really (a few tears in the throne room didn’t count).

But with Chewbacca, he opened up, exactly like he did as a little toddler, or childish boy. Chewbacca calmed him, picked him up when he was hurt. The gentle giant, guiding his way.

“I’ve… I’m… I’m so sorry,” he sobbed. Everyone Chewbacca had loved died because of him. Somehow at his hand. He could barely put into words how regretful and guilty he felt.

Chewbacca just held him, and muttered a response. Words of forgiveness. Words of sorrow. And words of hope. He was happy to have his Ben back. The child he watched grow up. Ben nodded slowly, then parted from his arms.

“I’m glad to be back as well, honestly, yet forgiveness won’t come easily. They won’t see me like you and Rey do,” Ben responded, recovering from his breakdown. He wiped the tears off his face with the cuff of his sleeve. Only then did he realize how rough the fabric was. He had lived in these clothes for more than a year, they were… well how would you expect something like that to feel.

Chewbacca noticed his realization and almost laughed to himself. He then gave Ben directions to get both food and new clothes. Continue straight, then turn left at the corner. The next two storage rooms contained both.

Ben nodded, thankfully, then continued on his way. He already felt more relieved. He had gotten his first encounter with Poe out of the way, received forgiveness from Chewie, the only person left on this ship was… Finn. Now he was regretting those words he said to him all that time ago, calling him a “traitor”. Dang it! That was going to bite him back in the end!


	31. Chapter 31

He eventually made it to the storage room. The lights inside were barely functional, the shelves an utter mess. Only one container was labeled “barely edible stuff”. Poe must’ve labeled that one.

The inside of the container was surprisingly neat. Small rations packed into neat rows, organized by meal. Some non-freeze dried or baked goods were present as well, yet not much. Those sorts of food weren't made for long trips and space travel.

He decided on a biscuit, which he presumed was stale, as well as some sort of noodle packet that you had to mix with liquid to eat. Both seemed not too bad, especially after not eating for a year.

The thing was, not eating for a year sounded exaggerated. He didn’t eat at all in the World Between Worlds, yet he was never really hungry. Now, back in the real world, he was starving. Like all those months had caught up to him. 

He instantly began to eat the bread, which wasn’t half bad, yet he definitely needed some water to go with it. 

Next, clothes. While still gnawing on the small loaf, he sifted his hands through some fabrics, blankets, and finally found a box with men’s clothes.

Mostly every shirt was a tan or brownish color, each pair of pants were a dark navy, or black and jackets, well as far as jackets went they all seemed to be… leather. The same leather his father wore. Same leather even Poe wore. Different colors of course, black, tan, olive green, even a white one; but still, didn’t prevent the catch in his breath. 

Ben picked up a jacket (the olive green one), along with a shirt (light tan) and pair of pants (dark brown) to go with it. It was a decent outfit, yet reminded him too much… way too much.

He closed the door of the storage room, and changed. The old black shirt peeled of him, leaving his skin still damp and wet from his trek in the rain.   
That’s when a thought came to mind, Rey. She was probably cold, still wearing those soaked clothes. He would be at least. He changed quickly, then felt at feeling. That feeling he had missed oh so much!

The light, guiding him. Telling him to go somewhere or whatever reason that was. He was used to the dark pushing him, ordering him what to do. This was different, this was what he had been yearning for: guidance.

He stood there for a moment, just taking in the soft and inviting feeling. Then followed the instinct.

It led him to…

Ben knew this room. His mother’s room. The room he spent so many nights curled up next to her, seeking comfort from the bad dreams. They of course only slept on the Falcon when they were moving from planet to planet for Leia’s work, or if Han decided to take Ben along for an errand, yet that barely ever happened.

He ran his fingers along the bed frame, a cool metal. It made him shiver, not just the metal but the memories.

A few boxes peeked out from underneath the bed, and unlike everything else in the room, they seemed to be cleaned off. Somebody had opened it. 

He lifted the lid off the metal container. This room must’ve been locked away until the ship was returned to Han, or else how was everything in here preserved if the Falcon had been stolen so many times.

Or maybe the people who stole it found no value in the little memories and keepsakes kept in the boxes under the bed. Most people wouldn’t. But Ben did.

He looked through the items, a blanket, his blanket. He had almost forgot how much he treasured it as a kid. How incredibly soft it was.   
Next there was a black box, filled with writing utensils. He fingered with the pencils and pens, each one he remembered using, writing with them almost every nigh until he would fall asleep. What he wrote? He barely remembered. Maybe some letters here or there, and other little poems possibly.

There was a manual for a new droid he had been working on. He quietly stifled a laugh at the thought of his frustrated little self not being able to figure out which part went where. He was no Anakin Skywalker when it came to droids.

The last item in the box was a little Rebel pilot doll, with it’s signature orange vest. He held it up gently, as if he could break it if he held it too tight. His mother had made it for him when he was just a baby. And he held it in his grasp whenever Luke would tell him a story about his piloting days. Oh, Luke. How he had wanted to be so much like him.

Ben placed the doll down and looked for another item in the box, one he remembered vividly. One he knew should be in that container. His sketchbook. He departed with it when he went of to train with Luke.

Once searching through the things throughly, nearly five times, he put the items back into the box and slid it back under the bed. Maybe he would open it again, yet it already had brought back some memories. Sad and regretful ones.

He found himself drawn to the corner of the room, where a keypad a door stood. The keypad, too, had been touched in the recent days, a bit of the dust was smudged off.

He pressed the button to reveal a closet, full of women’s clothes. Rey needed something else to change into, he could practically visualize her bloodied outfit she was sleeping in.

His hand made it ways through the outfits hanged neatly on metal hangers. Any of the clothing items would look beautiful on Rey, but something caught his eye.

It was a simple light-cream colored dress that flowed to about her ankles, given her height. Short sleeved and had multiple flowing sashes that lined the upper chest, was tucked under a thin brown belt, and flowed to the ground along with the rest of the skirt.

It strangely reminded him of the clothes she wore as a scavenger, with the loose pieces of fabric that blew with the wind. But this, this was different. This was new, strong but also gentle. Just like her.

He took the dress off the hanger and left the room. Taking one last took at the bed, and the boxes hidden underneath it before leaving.


	32. Chapter 32

When Rey finally awoke, she found herself alone. A tinge of panic coursed through her mind. What if that was all a dream? What if he wasn’t back? What if…?

She was still wearing the bloodied clothes, and the bandages Ben had placed on her wounds were still present. Her heartbeat didn’t calm down though until someone touched her hand.

There was Ben, she breathed out slowly, relieved. And she repeated the four words in her head: It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t a dream! He was here. 

“Miss me?” he asked playfully, knowing full well her reaction to his touch.

She smiled up at him, not knowing exactly what to say. Setting jokes aside, she had. She had missed him for over a year now. Instead, she tried to sit up, maybe possibly get up and out of this bed. But once trying to do so, she realized what toll the World Between Worlds had really taken on her body. All the broken bones, internal damage, even the hurt in her lungs when she breathed deeply, it all came back to her.

“Don’t get up, you’re in no condition to do so. We’re heading back to… Ajan Kloss? That’s what it’s called?” he informed her.

“Yeah,” she nodded while laying back down. It caused her to take a sharp breath as pain shot through her side.

Ben winced, probably at her throbbing. Even though she barely showed it, he knew what she was going through, he could almost feel it.

“I was going to give you this to change into, but seeing that you can barely get up… maybe you’ll wear it another time,” he sighed, motioning at the dress folded in his lap.

Only then did she notice that he had changed his clothes as well. His hair seemed neatly brushed and he wore a green jacket with a pair of dark brown pants and a light tan shirt. She thought the outfit looked well on him. He almost looked like a younger version of his father, like the one from the sketches.

But Ben was different, not just because of his hair color and dark but beautiful eyes. He had this gentle side to him, that Rey didn’t see as much in Han Solo. Sure some glimmers of it, yet Han was a bit to… arrogant… for that sort of thing.

Rey turned her attention the to the dress. It was one of the ones from that closet, she just knew it. A light dress with flowing cream colored fabric. He knew her all too well.

“I will wear it another time, even if it’s just for you,” she responded after a moment.

That made Ben’s face flush. Rey laughed in her head at how his cheeks, and even ears, turned a rosy red (laughing out loud would’ve been just too painful).

“We’re approaching the Cademimu sector, be prepared to exit light speed in three, two, one…” Poe’s voice interrupted her thought. It came from the cockpit, followed by the sound of Chewie confirming the exit.

Rey felt the ship jostle out of it’s cruising state, and it nearly three Ben across the room. She tried to keep her laughter in, yet a few giggles escaped her lips.

That only made Ben smile even more. He hadn’t seen her laugh before, not really. It’s sound warmed his heart, like soup would to your body. At the same time it also made him giddy. 

The Falcon began to descend onto the planet, slowly coming to a stop and landing on a landing pad.

“Welcome home,” Rey said. Her eye’s made contact with Ben’s and they held it for a second.

Home. Ben walked up to her and planted a light kiss onto her temple. 

“I was home when I found you,” he whispered.

“Same here,” she responded, her voice somehow became breathy and they didn’t break eye contact until Poe, Finn and Chewie walking into the room.

“We already requested medical assistance, Rose will be on her way with a stretcher and a doctor,” Finn explained. He looked at Rey, then to Ben. He opened his mouth, like he was going to say something, but then stopped.

Instead Finn gave a comforting smile to Rey, then left the Falcon with Poe on his tail.

Chewie stayed behind and talked with Ben, explaining the years that had went by when he was with Luke, training. Rey overheard the memories, and smiled at the kind ones. Yes, she was home.


	33. Chapter 33

1 Month Later…

Rey’s eyes fluttered open, the light peeking in between the curtains of her small hut gently forced her awake.

She sat up slowly and looked to her side, Ben was still asleep. She smiled down at him kindly, affectionately, tenderly… too many adjectives could describe that one gaze that landed on his sleeping face.

It had been a while, yet his nightmares seemed to be occurring less and less, and Rey found the same. It seemed that together, the dark force didn’t bother to tempt them, almost knowing that they wouldn’t turn now that they had each other.

As if he had knew she was watching him, Ben woke slowly and looked back up at Rey with admiration. How the small sun rays glistened against her brown hair, it was down and fell against her shoulders. And he loved it that way, well quite honestly he loved it any way she styled it; but when her hair was down, flowing across her back like a waterfall, she was a goddess.

Rey began to get up and out of bed. She was an early riser (which Ben had found out) and always started the day with sunrise meditation. If anything she was already late, the sun had risen hours ago. He didn’t want to think that he was the cause, but… well… he had to admit he was.

Before she was too far into their small dinning room, Ben Force-grabbed her hips and pulled her back towards him.

“Hey!” she squeaked, almost a bit surprised at the pull.

She was back in his arms in no time, and he littered her forehead and cheeks with kisses. At first she protested his hug, warning him that she had “things” to accomplish. “Am I one of those things?” he asked back, a foolish smirk on his face. She playfully slapped him, but then gave in and melted into his embrace. 

“How does training sound?” Ben whispered in her head after moments of silence, just them in each other’s arms.

“Sounds lovely,” Rey responded. She smiled and leaned forward, her lips growing closer and closer to his until they made contact in a soft and sweet peck.

“Now let’s hurry before somebody follows us to our spot,” Rey warned and got up out of the bed, this time Ben let her.

Lately a little orange and white droid followed them on their training activities, but that usually came with Poe and Finn not far behind looking for the BB unit.

Rey loved BB-8’s company, don’t get her wrong, but once Finn and Poe showed up, their little dueling session was over once Finn wanted to try to “redeem” himself from the fight on Starkiller.

Ben always tensed at the remark, which he just laughed off easily, trying to make it seem like he didn’t care. Rey knew it hurt him, a small jab, sure. He could handle it, of course. But somethings would always hurt, his past being one of those. And she hated to see him hurt.

“Right,” Ben got up as well. In almost ten minutes time they had changed into more “appropriate” clothes for a saber duel, ate a small meal for breakfast and was on their way…

“You’re holding back,” Rey muttered and swung her yellow saber at his blue one. He backed away for a moment, before advancing on towards her and blocked her swing towards his arm.

“Wouldn’t want to hurt you would I?” he asked, a caring grin spread across his face.

“Not like I would let you,” she began, “and you could never hurt me.”

His smiled spread even wider. This flirtatious and playful banter had almost became routine in their exercises. It wasn’t like they were actually dueling, and quite honestly, he knew she was pulling her swings as well. Easily there were three times she could’ve landed her saber near his exposed abdomen. She instead aimed for his right arm, where his lightsaber was ready to block.

They continued their dueling, almost like a dance. One would advance, then almost back away, allowing the other to get in some decent swings.

Rey eventually got tired of this back and forth, she swung up towards his upper chest, causing him to back away quickly. Then she used the Force to push him backwards until he was on the ground.

“Yield?” she asked, her face all smiles.

“Hm…” he sat there a moment at the point of her saber. He knew she wouldn’t do anything to him with it, but it still caused a feeling to course around in his stomach. Though it wasn’t fear.

“I won’t hesitate…” she threatened jokingly and walked closer. The hum of her saber becoming nearer and nearer to him.

Suddenly Ben reached his hand out and pulled Rey to him, nearly on top of him. He pulled her face towards him, relishing in the contact all over his body. And of course, her sweet, sweet lips.

“Now I yield,” he smiled at her, a glimmer in his eye. She kissed him once more, another deep and passionate kiss before getting off his lap and turning her gaze to the view in front of them. They were near an edge of a cliff, the Ajan Kloss landscape surrounding them.

“Months ago, I was here when I heard you for the first time since… Exegol,” Rey began, she leaned into his body when he stood next to her, holding her shoulders to his chest. “That was when I had hope again, that maybe I could get you back. And here we are now. You are back.”

“Yes I am, and this time I’ll stay,” he kissed the top of her head. It tasted slightly of sweat yet he didn’t mind.

The whole universe was at peace. The dyad was back together again. Balance was restored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked this fic! Let me know what you thought it the comments!


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